Summer Rain
by RubyPearl
Summary: Rain. When most people think about rain, they think of sadness and gloom. But, when Lily Evans thinks about rain, she thinks about beauty. When Lily thinks about rain, she thinks about James Potter.
1. Hogwart's Express

-1CHAPTER 1: HOGWART'S EXPRESS

Lily Evans stepped off the Hogwarts Express. She tucked her fiery, shoulder-length, red hair behind her ear and continued to pull her trunk off the train. Her emerald green eyes looked at her friend, Emma Scott.

"Hey, Em, are there any trolleys left?"

"None that I see," Emma said, she had already gotten her trunk down and was now sitting on it, as she pulled her curly blond hair up in a ponytail.

"I hate getting these stupid things off the train!" groaned Lily's other friend, Cassie Denver.

"I know, me too," agreed Lily, "but look at this way, we only have to do this one more time." With one final tug, the luggage landed on the ground with a small bang.

Cassie rolled her light blue eyes.

"I can't believe we only have one more year left," said Emma.

"Yeah, neither can I," said Lily.

She looked over and saw four figures coming their way, causing her to groan: The Marauders. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. The main source of Lily's displeasure was James Potter.

Emma looked over to see what Lily was groaning about. 'Oh,' she thought to herself. Then, she looked at Lily. "I don't see why you don't just give James a chance. Personally, I think he's kind of hot."

"Yeah, but his personality bites," Lily said bitterly.

"So, you think he's cute?" Emma asked, grinning.

"I did not say that!" said Lily.

Cassie was not listening to their conversation. She was still trying to push her trunk off the train. Finally, she became so frustrated with the over-sized box that she kicked it. The Marauders were now up the girls. James' hand jumped to his, already messy, jet-black hair; it had a habit of doing that when he was around Lily.

"Cass, baby, kicking it won't help," Sirius Black said, going over to help his girlfriend.

Cassie put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they pulled away and Sirius picked up her trunk.

"So what do you guys want?" asked Lily.

"Well, we saw three lovely ladies in need of help," replied Remus, his eyes looking right at Emma when he said 'lovely.'

Sirius walked over to the others carrying Cassie's trunk, as James reached down for Lily's trunk.

"Potter, leave my stuff alone."

"Can't I do anything nice for you?" he asked even though he didn't pick up the trunk.

Lily just crossed her arms and looked over to see Emma and Remus talking. Emma was in the middle of saying something when Remus reached his hand to her face.

"You've got an eyelash on your face," he told her. His hand moved closer to her eye, and she blinked, he asked her not to. His hand touched her face as he brushed the eyelash off with his thumb. Transferring the lash to his index finger, he held it in front of her face. "Make a wish."

"Huh?"

"If you have an eyelash on your face then you wipe it off, make a wish, and blow it away. Then your wish will come true."

"I see," said Emma. "Well, I think you should make the wish, since you wiped it off."

"Yeah, but it's your eyelash, so you make the wish."

"Alright," said Emma. She thought about it for a moment. "Okay, I got it. I wish-"

Remus stopped her urgently. "No, you have to say the wish to yourself, or else it won't come true."

"Oh, okay," Emma closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she blew the eyelash away. She opened her eyes to find Remus smiling at her; she was unable to stop the smile that had formed on her own lips.

"So," began Emma, "have any of your wishes ever come true?"

"A few; but there's this one in particular that I want to come true."

"Care to tell me what it is?"

"Now, I can't do that because then it wouldn't come true."

"Oh, yeah."

"You guys, we should probably get off the platform," said Lily and the others agreed.

Lily looked over as James picked up her trunk.

"Potter, I told you, I can get it myself."

"Evans, there is no way you're going to be able to carry this thing."

"Fine, then carry it," Lily said. She heard Remus and Emma talking again.

"Er-I can carry your trunk for you, if you'd like," Remus offered.

"Uh, sure," said Emma. "Thanks."

Remus picked up her trunk and moved next to James, while Lily walked with Emma.

"He totally likes you," said Lily.

"Who? Remus?" asked Emma.

"No, Santa Claus," Lily said sarcastically. "Yes Remus!"

"No, he doesn't," Emma said uncertainly. "Does he?"

"Yes, it's so obvious. I mean, when he said lovely, he looked right at you. And, he was flirting."

"He wasn't flirting."

"Oh, yes he was," Lily said. "And if he wasn't, then what was that whole eyelash thing about?"

"I had an eyelash on my face, and he wiped it off."

"He told you to make a wish; he was totally flirting with you, and you flirted back."

"No, I didn't."

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe I did, just a little."

"So, do you like him?"

Emma was about to deny it, but knew there was no point. "I guess, I mean, he's cute, with those blue eyes and sandy brown hair. Plus, he's nice and strong too."

Lily asked why she didn't just tell Remus all of that.

"Are you crazy?" replied Emma. "I can't do that. What if he doesn't like me? I'll make a complete fool of myself."


	2. Disbelief

Thanks to sorrybut for replying.

CHAPTER 2: DISBELIEF

"If I found out that he likes me too, then I guess I would tell him that I like him."

Lily only nodded, good now all she had to was find a way to ask Remus without being too indiscreet. Lily's thoughts were interrupted by James' voice. 

"Hey, Evans.," he asked. "Where should I put this thing?"

"Right there is fine," she replied.

"Her mom's right over there with the car. She's the one with brown hair, talking to that lady."

"Cassie!" said Lily, before walking over to her mom.

She got to the car just in time to hear James say, "Hi, mom," to the black- haired lady.

'That's James' mom?' Lily thought to herself. 'Well, they certainly do look alike; they both have black hair and hazel eyes.'

Lily heard James introducing himself to her mom.

"I was just helping Lily with her trunk," he added.

"Well, isn't that very nice of you," said Mrs. Evans. "You can just put it in the back seat."

'Did my mom just call Potter nice? Doesn't she realize that is James Potter, the one I hate?'

Obviously, she had not made that connection.

"He's very cute, Lily," Mrs. Evans half-whispered to her daughter.

"Oh, yes. He's adorable," Lily muttered. Neither Mrs. Evans nor Mrs. Potter caught the sarcasm in her voice.

Then, Lily turned to James' mom. "Hello, I'm Lily Evans."

"Hi, I'm Jane. James' mother."

"It's very nice to meet you," Lily didn't see any point in being rude to Mrs. Potter. After all, it wasn't her fault her son was a jerk.

James walked back over to the women. "Your trunk's in the car, Lily."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Well, James, we should get going," Jane said.

"Okay," James turned to Mrs. Evans. "It was nice meeting you."

"Same to you, James."

Jane turned to Lily. "I look forward to having you over this summer."

"Yeah, sure," Lily said politely.

After saying goodbye, Lily and her mom walked to the car.

"James seems very nice," said Mrs. Evans as she started the car.

"He is not nice," snapped Lily. "He was just pretending to be nice. The only reason he was carrying my trunk was because I didn't want him to. And if he thinks I'm going over to his house this summer, he's got another thing coming-"

"Uh, Lily-" her mom began, but Lily continued with her rambling.

"I just can't believe he had the nerve to tell his mom that I would be coming over-"

"Lily, James had nothing to do with it," this time she got her attention

"Huh?"

"You are going to stay at the Potter's for most of the summer."

"What?! Why?" Lily asked incredulously.

"You're aunt is very sick, I am going down to take care of her."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I'm not going to leave you by yourself for three months."

"So, instead you send me to stay with a bunch of strangers?" Lily asked, thinking her mom was crazy.

"They are not strangers; I met Mrs. Potter at the beginning of the school year. And we've kept in contact. Last week, I told her about my sister being sick, and that I was worried about you staying by yourself. She offered for you to stay there. They have plenty of extra rooms, and more than enough to do. Plus, James will be there to keep you company."

"There is no way I am letting Potter keep my company!"

"Why not?"

"Because his idea of keeping a girl company is ripping off her clothes and-"

"Lily!" said her mom. "Now, is that any way to talk about such a nice boy?"

"James Potter is not a nice boy. He's a big-headed bullying toe-rag, who thinks he's king of the world. I can't stand him. He thinks he knows everything just because he's in the top 5 of our class. He's always messing up his hair because apparently it's cool to look like he just got off his broomstick, which it's a miracle that thing can leave the ground with his big head on it.  
"He and little friends, the Marauders, walked through the halls like they own the place, hexing anyone who gets in their way. Remus is the only decent one and, personally, I don't see how he can hang out with someone so arrogant. Potter's always picking on Snape, not that Snape is innocent or anything, but no one deserves to be treated that way. And to make matters worse, Potter likes me, so, he's constantly asking me out. He thinks he's god's gift to women. I don't see how girls can fall for him. And he's always staring at me. He-" Lily looked over, her mom was smiling. "What? Why are you smiling?"

"It sounds to me like you have a crush."

"What?!" asked Lily. "Here I am talking about how much I despise Potter and you conclude that I have a crush on him. How can you think that I even like him after everything I just said? I mean did you just completely block me out?"

"Lily, I have never heard you talk about anyone like that."

"That's because I've never hated anyone as much as I hate him."

"I meant that I have never heard you talk about one person that much, and with such passion."

"Passion," Lily repeated with a laugh. "Are you off your rocker? I do not have a passion for that arrogant, pompous git."

"If you say so," her mom said with a knowing smile.

"Oh, I say so."


	3. Home Sweet Home

-1CHAPTER 3: HOME SWEET HOME

"Lily, no matter how much you dislike James, I still want you to be nice to him while you're at his house."

"I will if he will." mumbled Lily, then she raised her voice. "But if he tries to kiss me or touch me in a way that I am uncomfortable with, I will slap him."

"I don't think he would do that."

Lily scoffed. "Yes, he would. One time he fell on top of me."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to fall on you."

"He didn't, but then he wouldn't get off."

"Well, I still want you to be nice while you're there."

"I don't see why I can't just stay home. I'm going to be seventeen next month and you know you can trust me."

"I know that, but I would feel better knowing you were safe. You'll be safer in a house full of people."

"How do you know that I really am safe with these people? What if they're like serial killers or something? I could spend the summer tied up in a dark, cold dungeon, forced to be James' sex slave."

Her mother raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Lily asked. "It could happen."

"I think I'll take my chances."

"What if I get lost?"

"Lost?"

"Yeah, you said they have a big house. I could sleep walk and end up in a part of the house that I'm not familiar with and no one would know where I was."

"But you don't sleep walk"

"I could start. There have been cases where people don't sleepwalk their whole life and then they suddenly start. And studies show that sleepwalking can be caused by stress, and let's face it, this whole situation can be very stressful for me."

"Well, then have Jane draw you a map of the house in case you suddenly start sleepwalking."

"What if-"

"Lily, you're going, end of discussion."

"Fine!" Lily said, crossing her arms.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Mrs. Evans broke the silence.

"It's not going to kill you to stay at the Potter's. Jane is a very nice lady and I think you'll like her. And who knows, you may even become friends with James." 

"Yeah, and dad's going to come back to life." Lily said sarcastically. Her father had died a few years ago in a car accident.

Her mum didn't know how to respond to Lily's comment, so she didn't say anything. The rest of the car ride was silent; Lily stared out the window while her mum drove.

When, they pulled up in the driveway, Lily saw her sister, Petunia, storm out of the house. By the time Lily stepped out of the car, Petunia was two feet in front of her.

"Lily, you better go upstairs and shut that stupid bird of yours up!" Petunia screeched. "It' driving me insane!"

"Yeah, it's nice to see you, too, Petunia." Lily muttered sarcastically as she walked past her. "Oh, and the trip was wonderful, thanks for asking."

Lily walked inside and to a flight of stairs. Halfway up the steps, she could hear her owl hooting. She went into her room and on the dresser, in a cage, was a grey owl, which Lily walked over to. "Hey there, Jasp." The owl hooted and pecked at the cage. Lily giggled. "I missed you, Jasper."

Lily always left Jasper at home when she was away at Hogwarts, so that her mother could contact her if she needed to. Lily opened the cage and stroked Jasper on the head. He hooted appreciatively, spreading his wings.

"I'll let you out tonight, Jasp," Lily promised.

Lily closed the cage and left the room. Downstairs, Lily saw her trunk by the door. Her mom walked into the room.

"I can see why you had James carry your trunk to the car." said Mrs. Evans. "That thing's heavy."

"I didn't want him to carry it," Lily mumbled under her breath, as she walked into the kitchen.

She glanced over at the calendar on the wall and noticed it said 'Go to Tina's' three days from today's date.

"We're leaving in three days?"

"Yeah," answered her mom.

"Where is Petunia going?" 

"She's staying at Vernon's."

"This is so unfair," complained Lily. "I have to spend the summer with Potter, and Petunia gets to stay with her 200 pound boyfriend."

"At least I can get a man," Petunia retorted, walking into the room.

"Vernon's not a man, he's an elephant!"

"Lily!"

"She started it."

"I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it. You two can't be together for five minutes with out biting each other's heads off. You're only going to see each other for a few days. Now, do you think you could try to get along? If you can't, then don't talk to each other, because I'm not going to put with you two bickering for three days."

"Not talking to her sounds like a good idea to me," Lily said, storming out of the room.

Lily walked up to her room and over to the dresser where she kept spare ink, quills, and parchment. She took them over to her desk and sat down. She wrote:

_Hey, Cassie,_

You will never believe this, but I have to stay the summer at Potter's. That's just my luck, huh? I've been home for like 15 minutes and Petunia's already being a total snob, like always. You're probably wondering why I have to stay at the Potter's, it's because my aunt is sick and my mom's going to go take care of her. This is going to be the worst summer ever. And to make matters even worse, my mom thinks Potter is a 'very nice boy'. Potter was acting all proper around my mom. AND my mom thinks I have a crush on him! Can you believe it?! And she wants me to be nice to him while I'm at his house. As if! When I get to the Potter's I'll give you his address so that we can write to each other. Writing to you and Emma may be the only thing that keeps me sane this summer. Well, I'll talk to you later.

Love always,

Lily

Lily sealed the letter and walked over to Jasper. "Here, Jasper, take this to Cassie, okay?"

Jasper gave a quick nod of the head to indicate that he understood. Lily tied the letter to his leg. Jasper hopped on her arm. She walked over to the window and opened. Jasper flew out. Lily went downstairs.


	4. To the Potter's

-1**Thanks,**

**Super Cara**

**marauders rox**

**Thanks for reviewing guys. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

CHAPTER 4: TO THE POTTER'S

Lily went downstairs to the living room where her mom was sitting on the couch. Lily walked and cuddled up to her. "I love you mommy," she said sweetly.

"I love you too, Lily, but you're still going to the Potter's."

Lily knew it was time to give up; when cuddling up to her mom didn't work, it meant her mind was made up.

Three days later, Lily woke up to the sun shining on her face. She climbed out of bed and got dressed. On the outside, it looked like a good day, but for Lily it was a horrible day: The day she was going to Potter's. Lily trudged downstairs to the kitchen where her mom was making breakfast.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," she said to her begruntled daughter when she walked into the room.

Lily glared at her mom as she sat down at the table.

"If I kill Potter, it's not my fault."

"I'll make sure to have a lawyer for you, then," replied her mom. "Here's some eggs." She placed a plate of steaming eggs in front of her.

Lily only pushed the eggs around with her fork.

"What time are we leaving?" she asked.

"11:00," her mom answered. "So, that gives you an hour to cheer up, my little murderer."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you going to eat your eggs?" 

"I'm not hungry," said Lily.

"Lily, you have to eat. Starving yourself isn't going to make anything better."

"Yeah, it will. If I die of starvation then I won't ever have to see Potter again."

"Starvation is one of the worst ways to die. Besides, I'd miss you too much. Now, eat up."

Lily continued to push her eggs around with her fork.

"Lily, either you can eat your food by yourself or I'm going to feed you."

"Fine," Lily gave in, taking a bite of her eggs. She took a long time chewing.

"Lily, it's chewed now."

"You should chew your food 25 times. You wouldn't want me to choke, would you?"

"I know the Heimlich," her mom said.

Just then, Petunia came into the kitchen singing off-key.

"Wow, Petunia, that's really good," said Lily.

"Really?" asked Petunia.

"Yeah, it sounds almost as good as a cow in labor."

"Lily!" scolded her mom.

"What?" asked Lily. "You told me to always be honest."

Mrs. Evans placed her hands on her hips. "You'd better not act like this while you're at the Potter's. They are very nice people, and you should be grateful that they're kind enough to have you at their house."

"I'd be more grateful if I didn't have to go," Lily said, earning a look from her mom. "I'll be good. I promise."

"You better."

Forty-five minutes later, Lily and her mom were piling their bags into the car. The car ride to the Potter's was an hour long. As they approached the house, Lily couldn't help but gasp as she looked at it through the window. It looked more like a mansion than a house. It was painted white, and judging from the windows, was at least three stories tall. Lily had never seen a house that big in her life. Her mom said something about Jane not lying when she said it was big, and a speechless Lily nodded in agreement. When they pulled up in front of the house, Lily saw three figures walking across the lawn: James, Sirius and Remus walked over to the car. After Lily and her mom got out of the car, Lily introduced Remus and Sirius; the five exchanged greetings. The boys offered to help Lily with her bags so her mom opened the trunk. Each of the boys grabbed a bag.

"Potter, put my stuff down right now," demanded Lily, snatching the bag from his hands.

"Lily," her mom said warningly.

Lily sighed and forced a smile. "Thank you very much for trying to help, but I got it."

"Okay," James said. "I'll carry your owl for you, then."

"No!" Lily said quickly, and receiving a reproachful look from James. "He doesn't like strangers," she explained as she thrust her bag at James. "Here, you carry my bag and I'll get Jasper." 

James turned and walked to the house with the bag.

As Lily was in the back, getting Jasper, James' parents came outside. Lily recognized his mom, and even though she had never met him before, his dad, because he was the spitting image of James, only he had blue eyes and looked older.

"Hello, Jane, it's nice to see you again," said Lily.

"It's nice to see you again too, Lily."

"Hello, Lily, I'm Mike, James' father."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."

"Please call me Mike," he said, before turning to Lily's mom. "And you must be Tracy."

"Yes," said Mrs. Evans. "It's nice to meet you, Mike. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you and Jane are allowing Lily to stay here for the summer."

"It's no problem," said Mike. "We have plenty of extra rooms and more than enough for people her age to do. Maybe Lily can help keep James and his friends in line and out of trouble."

"Us, in trouble?" asked James, he and the others were back outside. "Look at these faces; does it look like we could get in an ounce of trouble?" James continued as he and Sirius put on their best 'innocent' smiles.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" asked Mike.

"Save me, Remus," Lily mumbled.

"Okay, well, I need to get going," said Mrs. Evans. "Lily, come give me a hug."

Lily gave her mom a hug, telling her she loved her.

"I love you too," she replied. "Bye, have fun."

She got in the car and left. Everyone else went inside.

"Boys, why don't you show Lily her room," Mike suggested.

The boys did just that: Sirius and James walked ahead as Remus walked with Lily. If Lily thought the outside of the house was pretty; the inside was ten times better. When they first walked inside the house, they were standing in a living room that didn't have much furniture. There was a cream-colored couch and a couple of matching chairs. There was also a fireplace. Looking over, she could see the kitchen. Almost in a dream like state, she followed the boys up a flight of stairs and down a hall, walking next to Remus the whole time.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with him there. At least she would have someone to talk to.


	5. The Potter Mansion

-1CHAPTER 5: THE POTTER MANSION

They reached a door, which Sirius opened for them.

"Well, here we are," he announced as they walked inside.

"Whoa," Lily gasped. "It's so big. This is how big the master bedroom at my house is."

Although large, there was little furniture in the room: A queen-sized bed, a large mahogany dresser, and bedside table. Her bags were already in the room. The walls were white and there was a huge window and two doors, one on each side.

"My mum always leaves the guest rooms bare so the guest can decorate them how they want to," James explained.

"I see," Lily said. She walked over to the dresser, setting Jasper's cage on it. The owl hooted.

Next to the dresser was window that over looked the back yard. The first thing that caught her eye was a beautiful waterfall. Next to the waterfall was pool. Lily looked over; there was a small Quidditch pitch.

"Well, we'll let you unpack," Remus said. He ushered Sirius and James out the door.

"Wait," said Lily. "What are those two doors to?"

"The door on the right goes to the closet and the one the left goes to the bathroom."

"I have my own bathroom?" asked Lily.

"Yeah."

The boys left the room. Lily walked over to the dresser. She put her shorts, pants, skirts, and undergarments in the dresser. She hung her shirts in the closet. She took out a picture of her and her dad and put it on her dresser. Lily went into the bathroom. It was a nice sized bathroom. She put her toothbrush and make-up in the bathroom. Then, she left the bathroom. She went over and sat on the bed, it was very comfortable.

Lily had unpacked in about a half an hour. She walked downstairs.

"You all unpacked?" asked Jane.

"Yeah," said Lily, sitting down at the table next to Remus. "You have a really beautiful house."

"Thank you," said Jane.

"Well, I should be getting to work," said Mike, kissing his wife.

"Do you two really have to do that in the kitchen?" asked James.

"It's not like you don't kiss your girlfriends in the kitchen," said Mike.

"I don't," said James. "That's Sirius."

"It doesn't bother you when he does it."

"Yeah, but that's different. Sirius and his girlfriends aren't my parents."

"Well, this is my house, so I'm going to kiss my wife in whatever room I want to," said Mike. "'Bye, kids, be good." he said, before Apparating.

Jane turned to Lily. "Are you hungry, dear?"

"No, thanks anyway."

"Alright." said Jane. "But if you do get hungry, just tell one of the boys and they'll fix you something."

"Okay."

"I'll be out in the garden," Jane said, leaving the room.

"So, Lily, what do you want to do?" asked Remus.

"I'd kind of like a tour, if it's not too much trouble "

"No, of course of not."

"Lily, I could give you tour," James offered.

"Thanks but I'd rather have Remus give me the tour."

Lily walked with Remus out of the room.

"I know this house is huge, but it's pretty much all bedrooms."

They walked into the large living room. In the living room, there was a couch, a couple of chairs, a coffee table, and a huge fireplace. Past the living room, a small hall led to a bathroom. Another door led to the basement.

"Why do they have so many bedrooms?" Lily asked as they walked back into the living room and to a sliding glass door that, once you walked through you were outside. "I mean, only three people live here."

"Actually, four people live here, Sirius lives here too. Anyway, Jane and Mike were planning to have a lot more kids. They're very-err-affectionate, to put it lightly." He noticed a slightly worried look on Lily's face. "Oh, but don't worry, they won't like start all over each other on the counters or anything. But, as you can tell, they have no problem kissing in front of others."

"I know how that is. My parents used to be the same way," Lily said.

Remus just smiled sadly. He knew about her dad. He looked around.

"Well, this is the outside," He said, changing the subject.

They looked over and saw James and Sirius playing Quidditch.

"I can't believe they have a waterfall," said Lily.

"I know, it's really beautiful, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Lily remembered something.

"Hey, you know my friend, Emma?"

"Yeah." Lily noticed the slightest hint of excitement in his voice, so small, that had she not been looking for it, she wouldn't have heard it.

"What do you think of her?"

"She's cool and all, I guess. Why?"

"No reason. We were just wondering if you liked her is all. You know because you helped her out the other day."

"Yeah, I like her as a friend and all, but I was being a gentleman."

Lily could tell he was lying, and smiled inwardly. For the rest of the night Lily hung out with Remus. At eight, he had to leave, saying his mum was ill.


	6. Rain Drops

-1CHAPTER 6: RAIN DROPS

Lily lay in bed unable to sleep. The rain outside kept her awake, the soft pitter-patter against the window tempted her. Finally, unable to resist any longer, Lily climbed out of the bed and snuck downstairs. The clock on the kitchen wall told her it was almost one. She opened the sliding door and stepped outside. The rain immediately showered down on her, and Lily smiled, feeling like her dad was right next to her. She and her dad used to go outside and play in the rain all the time. Looking up at the sky, she let the rain hit her face. As she spun around in circles, she felt happier than she had been for the past few days.

Upstairs in his room, James woke up, needing to answer the call of nature. On his way back from the bathroom, James passed his window and froze when he saw Lily out in the rain, spinning around in circles. He watched her for a minute, when he saw movement. He looked over realizing it was an animal coming closer to Lily. Not just any animal. A werewolf.

Panic rose in his chest as he looked back at Lily. She had her back to the wolf and didn't seem to notice it. Getting dizzy, Lily had stopped spinning; she looked up at the sky once again. Hearing a low growl, muffled by the rain, she turned around. Two feet in front of her was a werewolf, crouching low and baring its teeth. Her scream was caught somewhere in the middle of her throat, and fear took over her body, prohibiting her from running. She panicked even more upon remembering she didn't have her wand with her.

The wolf stepped forward; Lily stood frozen on the spot. In the next second, someone was pushing Lily back. Slipping on the wet grass, she lost her balance and fell. She thought that James had been the one who pushed her, but she couldn't be sure because when she looked up a beautiful stag was standing between her and the wolf. Regaining her movement, Lily scooted backwards. She watched as the wolf growled at the stag, which only pushed itself up on its hind legs. The werewolf backed off a little; it turned and ran when the stag came back down on all four. The stag chased it a few feet until it was sure the wolf was leaving.

Lily watched in amazement as the animal headed back to the woods, but nothing shocked her more than when she glanced back over to the stag. Her eyes widened as she watched it transform into a human: James. He ran back to Lily's side.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" James bombarded her with questions, crouching next to her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she said, a bit shaken. "You're an Animagus?"

"Yeah," James answered, helping her to her feet. "C'mon, let's get you out of this rain."

He led her back into the house, where he dried her off with his wand. He looked her over, checking for marks. 

"Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm just a bit shaken is all. I'm fine, really," she insisted. "I was so scared: I couldn't scream, or-or move. And then you came an- and..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. Then, she realized something. "How did you know I was outside?"

"I saw you spinning in the rain."

"You were spying on me?" Lily accused angrily.

"I just saved your life, and you accuse me of spying on you? Is that what you call a thanks?"

"I didn't need you to save me."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"So, you're telling me that you had the situation under control?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," she said defiantly.

"Lily, when I got there, you were paralyzed on the spot, and you didn't even have your wand with you," James said. "So, please, explain to me how you were going to take on a full-fledged werewolf without moving and wand less?"

"I- I would've come up with something."

"Whatever you say," James gave in, not wanting to argue. He turned away from her. "I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, a hero needs his rest," Lily spat sarcastically.

James bit back his comment as he trudged up the steps. He didn't know why she was acting like this. What hurt him most wasn't the fact that she wasn't grateful, he didn't want her to thank him, it was that she made him feel like he couldn't do anything right.

Lily waited a few minutes before going up to her own bed. Deep down, she felt a little bad for acting the way she did, but she was too mad to care. However, she didn't even really know why she was mad. She knew she should be grateful, but was being too stubborn to admit it.

The next morning, Lily woke up to someone saying her name. She opened her eyes to find Remus standing by her bed.

"I came to tell you breakfast is ready if you're hungry."

"Thanks, Remus," Lily said, sitting up.

"So, uh, James told me what happened last night," Remus began softly. "He's really upset, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I'm sure it hurt when his head deflated."

"Lily, don't you think you're being just a little too harsh?"

"What do you expect me to do: Bow down and kiss his feet?," she scoffed. "The last thing James needs is an ego boost."

"He was really worried about you last night. He saved your life, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Well, what was a werewolf doing on the property in the first place?" Lily asked. "I wouldn't put it past James to put the wolf in the woods."

"Lily, I know for a fact that's not what he did."

"Oh, yeah. And how's that?"

"Because the werewolf was me."

"What?" Lily asked quietly.

"I was the werewolf."

"You?" Lily repeated. "But you're not a-"

"I was bitten as a small child. When I became old enough to attend Hogwarts, I didn't even think I was going to be able to go, but then, Dumbledore put in the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack. When I got here, I was afraid I wouldn't have any friends; the first day I met three great guys who became my best friends. For years, I hid it from them; I didn't want to lose them. But they eventually figured it out. They didn't abandon me though, instead, they helped me in a way that I could never imagine."

"They became Animagus," Lily said softly, remembering the stag.

Remus nodded.

"But how did that help you?"

"They would transform with me, so I wasn't lonely, and making my own transformation less horrible."

"Why are you telling me all this?" 

"Because I wanted you to get an idea of the real James. I know he doesn't make the best choices all the time, but he's a good guy, really. I just think maybe you should consider that."

Remus left the room.


	7. Mistakes

-1CHAPTER 7: MISTAKES

After getting dressed, Lily left her room. She had thought about what Remus said before deciding to give James another chance and not be mean to him. Lily walked downstairs, and when she reached the kitchen, the boys were already sitting at the table. In front of each boy was a plate of eggs and toast, an additional plate was in between Remus and James. When Lily had entered the room, Sirius and James were having a conversation about broomsticks, but all talking ceased as the three boys looked at her. James' eyes quickly turned to his plate. Lily walked over to the empty chair, taking her seat. Tension hovered above the table and nobody spoke. For a few minutes, the sound of forks hitting plates filled the otherwise silent room.

'_C'mon, say something to him_,' Lily's conscience urged her.

_'But what_?'

Suddenly, a jug of orange juice on the opposite side of James caught her eye. She glanced back at the empty glass in front of her.

"James, will you hand me the orange juice, please?" Well, it was a start.

James pushed the juice to her wordlessly.

"Thanks," Lily said, but received no answer from him. She gave another attempt at a conversation. "So, uh, where are your parents at?"

James pretended not to hear her and looked up at Sirius.

"Hey, Padfoot, are you up for a game of Quidditch?"

"Sure," Sirius replied uncertainly.

The two boys stood from the table before Apparating out of the kitchen.

"Oh, yes, Remus, James is a great guy," Lily scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm so glad I decided to give him a chance."

Remus sighed. "He's just upset."

"Yeah, well so am I," Lily stood from the table.

For the next couple of days, Lily and James ignored each other. Both absolutely refusing to speak to the other. It got to the point where even James' parents noticed. Remus was in the middle of it all: He mainly hung out with Lily because he didn't want her to have to be by herself while he was hanging out James and Sirius, which made James feel like Remus was taking Lily's side. Their games were also annoying Sirius. Remus was his friend too, and even though he loved James like a brother, he was growing tired of always hearing him complain about Lily and how she was brainwashing Remus. So finally, Remus and Sirius had had enough and decided to do something about it.

"Sirius, why are we going to Lily's room?" James asked his friend.

"I already told you," Sirius sighed as if talking to a child, "She wants to talk to you."

They stopped in front of her room, and Sirius opened the door. The two boys stepped inside. It was the first time James had seen the room since Lily was there. She had changed the color of the wall to a light blue, a stuffed dog rested on the bed, Jasper's empty cage sat on the dresser, and a Muggle picture of Lily and a middle-aged man, who he guessed was her father, was on the bedside table, next to her wand. James realized something was missing. Lily.

"Padfoot, she's not even in here."

"She will be in just a minute. She said for you to wait here," Sirius told him.

James sighed and sat on the bed. A second later, Lily and Remus entered the room. Lily was smiling at something Remus said, but her eyes suddenly narrowed.

"What are you doing in my room, Potter?" she asked angrily.

James immediately knew something was up, and looked from Remus to Sirius. "What's going on?"

Sirius was the first to speak.

"Remus and I are tired of you two giving each other the silent treatment, so you are going to stay in this room until you quit acting childish."

Lily snorted, crossing her arms. "Well, then, I guess we'll be in here a while because Potter doesn't have a mature bone in his body."

"What's your problem?" James asked as he stood from the bed.

"You're my problem."

"At least they're talking," said Sirius while Lily and James continued to argue.

Remus nodded. He noticed Lily's wand on the table; as he was reaching for it, Lily whirled around.

"What are you doing with my wand?" she asked, as a horrible thought popped into her head. "Wait, you can't possibly leave me in here while Potter has a wand and I don't."

"James doesn't have a wand either," Remus informed her. "Now, when you two decide to treat each other like human beings, let us know."

With that, he and Sirius left the room, closing the door behind them. Lily walked over to said door and tried turning the knob.

"Locked," she sighed before turning back to James. "This is low, Potter, even for you."

James laughed in disbelief. "You actually think I planned this?"

It was Lily's turn to laugh. "You're not smart enough to plan something like this, but you were definitely in on it."

"Trust me, Evans, if I was to get myself locked in a room with a girl, it would be someone much prettier than you, and a lot less haughty."

"Haughty," Lily repeating, feigning admiration. "Don't you think that word's just a bit too intelligent for you? Maybe you should stick to smaller ones, like cat and dog. We wouldn't want you to chock."

Lily smirked in victory, expecting James to look defeated, but she was taken back when he only laughed.

"That's the best you can do?" James chuckled. "Challenging my intelligence when you bloody well know that I'm in the top five percent of our class? You're loosing your touch, Evans." Before Lily could say anything, James continued, "What's next? Are you going to criticize my Quidditch skills?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I have always wondered how your broom gets off the ground," she began. "It must be pretty hard with your huge head on it. I mean, how much ego can one broom hold?"

"Lily, if I was really so full of myself, do you think I would have risked my life by standing between you and the werewolf?"

"You're an Animagus, Potter! Everyone knows that werewolves are only a threat to humans. Your life was only in danger for what? Two seconds? Wow, big hero."

James sighed. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"How am I being stubborn? Huh? Just because I don't bow down to you?"

James was no longer able to take it.

"I never expected you to bow down to me. Lily even after I saved your life, I never truly expected you to be grateful. Most people in your position would have been grateful, but not you. No, you use it as another excuse to hate me. You always go on about how conceited I am, but you're so full of yourself that you can't even admit you were wrong."

"I thought I did admit I was wrong. The other day at breakfast."

"Lily, all you did was try to act as if nothing had happened. When someone admits they were wrong, they acknowledge what they did, take responsibility for it, and apologize. They don't ask the person they hurt to pass the juice and wonder where their parents are."

"You're such a hypocrite," Lily scoffed. "You stand there and talk about acknowledging what you've done wrong, but you don't practice what you preach. Tell me, James, why is it that you can act like an arrogant prat for six years of your life, but should be forgiven just because you acted like a decent person for two days? Yet, when I do one thing you think is wrong, suddenly, I need to repent for my sins?"

"Lily, I know I haven't made the best choices in my life. I did act unreasonably. I hurt other people. However, I've also learned from my mistakes. That's why I've been doing all this. I'm becoming a better person, trying to make up for all I've done. Unlike you, I don't expect people to just forget what I've done because that's what the bigger person does, Lily. They keep trying to prove themselves. They don't get mad at someone else when things don't go their way, and then act like it's the other person's fault."

James could see the rage in Lily's emerald eyes.

"Get out of my way," she seethed, pushing past him.

James grabbed her upper arm gently.

"No, Lily, Remus and Sirius are right; we need to talk this out."

"I don't want to talk to you anymore. Now let me go."

James released his grip on her with a sigh. Lily walked over to the door and pounded on it.

"Let me out of here right now. Black, Lupin, I know you two are out there. You both very well know that I don't need a wand to injure Potter."

The door opened, and Lily stormed past the two boys. On her way down the steps, she passed Mike.

"Lily?" he asked, but she ignored him and kept walking.

Mike walked down to her room where the three boys were standing.

"Okay, what happened?"


	8. Talking with Jane

-1**A/N Oh my God, I am sooooo sorry you guys, I just realized today that this story wasn't as far along as on other sites. I completely forget to be adding the next chapters. You all have my sincerest apologies. I really hope you all like this chapter, and since I made you all wait so long, I will probably even add another chapter later on tonight. Again, I apologize.**

CHAPTER 8: TALKING WITH JANE

Lily was sound asleep in her bed when a sharp tap woke her with a start. She rolled over in bed with a groan, not wanting to get up. She opened her eyes and looked towards the window to see Jasper on the other side. He tapped his beak against the glass a few more times until Lily finally got out of bed to let him in. As the owl flew into the room, Lily noticed it was unusually bright and glanced at the clock. It was almost noon.

_'I can't believe I slept in this late,'_ she thought to herself.

After getting a quick shower, she dressed and went downstairs. In the kitchen, Jane was sitting at the table, flipping through cookbooks. Lily pulled out a chair and sat down as Jane looked up at her.

"Good morning," she said.

"'Morning," Lily replied, stifling a yawn. 

"Are you hungry?" Jane asked as she closed the cookbook and made to stand up.

"No, I'm fine."

"So, what's going on between you and James?"

Lily looked up at the woman.

"I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but your son and I don't exactly get along. I don't like him and he doesn't like me."

"Really?" Jane asked. Because I was under the impression that James fancied this girl named Lily Evans."

Lily, who had been fingering a burn mark in the table, looked up.

"You must be mistaken," she assured the woman. "James doesn't like me. He likes to pester and annoy me, but he was no real interest in me."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Jane said with a knowing smile.

"I would," Lily said matter-of-factly. "Trust me. James only likes," she emphasized the word with finger quotes, "me because I refuse to go out with him. If I were to give in, he would get bored in a weeks time and break up with me."

Jane shook her head slightly with another smile.

"You have no idea how much you sound like me when I was your age," she said. "Let me guess, James walks through the corridors of Hogwarts as if he owns them? He has a tendency to hex people for fun. He has this air about him, as if he's smart, athletic, good-looking, and completely aware of all it? He can have any girl he wants but continues to ask you out, even though you reject him. And then he has his moments when he stands up for if someone else is being mean?"

At first, Lily had sat there nodding her head bored but by the time Jane had finished talking, Lily's mouth was practically gaping open. 

"How did you all that?" she asked. "Did James tell you this?"

Jane laughed. "No, James didn't tell me anything. Nope, I know all of this from experience." Noticing the look of confusion on Lily's face, she added. "James is more like his father than either of them want to admit. I know what you're going through, Lily, because Mike used to be the exact same way."

"Really?" Lily asked. She was having trouble picturing Mike hexing first years or pulling pranks on Slytherins.

"Oh, yeah, Mike and his twin brother, Mark, ruled Hogwarts when they attended: They were Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; they got great grades effortlessly; they dated all the girls; they got more detentions than either of them could count; and both their heads were bigger than anyone else's. Lily, for the Potter men, arrogance isn't a characteristic, it's a genetic trait passed down from generation to generation."

"Yeah. But there must've been some good qualities to Mike; you did marry him after all."

"Yes, I did," admitted Jane, "but it took a little convincing to get me to give him a chance. He first asked me out in our 5th year and I completely blew him off. I knew his reputation with girls. He continued to ask me out for the next year. I thought the same thing you did, that he was in it for the chase and had no real interest in me," Jane paused for a second. "He finally stopped asking in our 6th year when I started dating this 7th year, Oliver. Everything was great at first: We held hands in empty corridors; we cuddled up late at night in the Common Room. After a while, I noticed that he never wanted me around when he was with his friends. We had been dating for a month and I had only met one of them. One day, I confronted him about it; boy did he get mad. We got into a huge argument that ended in him dumping me. I was on the couch crying when Mike came down and saw me. He asked me what was wrong. Naturally, I told him to go away, but he refused. The next thing I knew, I was in his arms, telling him what happened. He assured me that Oliver was a git, to put it nicely, and that I deserved some one better. He told me that if I were his girlfriend, he would proudly show me off to the whole school. We stayed there talking for the rest of the night.

"The next morning at breakfast, he asked me out. A couple of weeks later, we were still together, but I was still weary about him breaking up with me. One day, we were in his dorm talking and I asked him why he hadn't kissed me that night he found me in the Common Room. I could tell he had wanted to, and there were times when we came close, but he always pulled away at the last second. I can still hear his answer, plain as day, because in that moment, all arrogance was stripped from his voice, and it was just honesty. His exact words were 'I could never forgive myself if I took advantaged of a girl as wonderful as you at a time when she was most vulnerable.' I knew it wasn't a line; it was the truth. And from that day on, I've loved him and I never worried that he would end things between us.

"Lily, although the Potter men make pretty lousy boys, they are great, responsible fathers and husbands. I'm not trying to make excuses for James, and I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm only hoping that you'll consider what I've told you. And in their defence, the Potter men have a way of more than making up for their past mistakes."

"I guess I can give him a chance," she contemplated with a sigh.

Jane smiled. "That's all I ask."

They sat in an awkward silence for a minute. Lily wasn't quite sure if she should go talk to James now or not. Luckily, Jane made the decision a little easier.

"Would you like to help me with lunch?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," Lily answered.

The two stood from the table.

"What are we having?"

"I was thinking spaghetti with garlic bread."

"Mmm, sounds good."

"Not to toot my horn, but everyone says I make the best spaghetti."

"I don't know," Lily said, feigning scepticism. "My dad used to make pretty good spaghetti."

Jane didn't say anything but gave Lily a small sad smile. She walked over to the cabinet and got out a big pot.

"You want to fill this with water?" Jane asked Lily.

"Sure." Lily walked over to the sink and set the pot under the faucet before turning on the water.

Jane walked over to the pantry and got out noodles and couple cans of tomato sauce.

"You know what I noticed about you and Mike?" Lily asked as she carried the pot over to the stove.

"What's that?" Jane asked. "We have trouble keeping our hands off each other?" she added with a laugh, as she got out a loaf of bread.

"Well, besides that," Lily said, also laughing. "It's that you guys don't have a House-Elf. I mean, when I saw the outside of this house, I assumed you guys would have one."

"We've never really needed one," Jane answered. "I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I was able to clean and stuff. Plus, I love to cook and take care of my family. Not mention that I have magic to help me out a great deal."

"That makes sense," Lily said as she dropped the noodles into the pot of water, which was now boiling rapidly.

For the next twenty minutes, the two women talked about this and that--boys, school, et cetera. Lily really liked Jane, enjoyed talking to her. She knew she could tell her anything. And even though she had only known her for a few days, it was as if they were old friends. Lily was a little saddened when Mike came home and wrapped his arms around his wife, kissing the back of her head. 

"I'm sorry," he asked, "did I interrupt your girl talk?"

"No, not at all," Lily answered, heading for the door. "I'm just going to go tell the boys lunch is ready."

She stepped outside where the Remus and Sirius were playing Exploding Snap; James was sitting on the swing watching them. Lily cleared her throat and the three boys looked up.

"Lunch is ready," she announced.

"It's about time," Sirius said, standing up. "I'm starving."

"Oh, I can tell that you're so deprived of food," Lily replied sarcastically with a smile.

Remus and Sirius were already on their way to the door when Lily walked over to James.

"Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Remus and Sirius stopped and looked behind them at the two.

"Tell my mom and dad we'll be in there in a minute," James told them with a sigh before turning back to Lily, looking at her expectantly.

"Well...you see, um..." This was harder than she had anticipated. "I wanted...I just want to say--I wanted to..."

"Spit it out," James said, though his voice held more amusement than annoyance.

"I guess I wanted to...apologize for how I acted earlier. I was being childish, and I'm sorry. You were right, and I was wrong, I shouldn't have acted the way I did. You were trying to make things right, and I was being stubborn. I guess I'm just not used this...decent James Potter, and I couldn't accept the fact that you had changed."

"And you would think saving someone's life would convince them."

Lily blushed. 

"Yeah, and I'm sorry for treating you like crap after that. I didn't mean what I said about you spying on me and all. I guess, I wasn't willing to admit that maybe I had been wrong about you, so instead I blamed everything on you."

"Apology accepted," James said. "Well, I guess we'd better get back inside before everyone starts wondering where we are."

Lily could only nod and follow him inside. 


	9. Sirius' Big Mouth

-1CHAPTER 9: SIRIUS' BIG MOUTH

When Lily and James walked back into the house, the others were already sitting at the table eating. Sirius looked over as they entered.

"Are you two finally together?" he asked.

"Sirius," James said quietly.

"Well, all I have to say is it's about time. For the past three years, all I've heard is how pretty Lily is, and how smart and witty she is-" Sirius suddenly stopped when he saw the look on their faces: James was blushing slightly, and Lily shifted awkwardly. "You two are together, right?" he all but pleaded.

"No, Sirius, we're not together," Lily said.

"James, mate, I'm so sorry. I really thought..."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine," he insisted. Clearing his throat, he motioned to the table. "Shall we?" he asked Lily.

Lily nodded and walked over to the table. She took her seat next to Jane, who gave her a smile that clearly said, "I told you so." James sat in the empty chair between Lily and Sirius, who apologized once again.

An awkward silence hovered above the table for a few minutes.

"Jane, this spaghetti is superb," Mike commented in an attempt to cut through the tension.

"Thanks," Jane said. "Lily helped me make it."

"Well, my compliments to the chefs."

Lily merely nodded her head in appreciation.

"I got a letter from Tracy today."

"Oh, really?" Mike asked. "How are they all doing?"

"They're good. Nikki's pregnant again."

"Oh, boy."

"Yeah, especially considering she's already three months along. She and Robbie have known for two months, they've been trying to find the right time to tell everyone."

"So, I'm guessing they found the right time."

"No, actually, Mariah did. She was over at Mark and Tracy's; they were babysitting her. Mariah asked Mark what pregnant meant. He told her it meant you had a baby in your belly. Mariah was a little confused as to why her mommy ate a baby."

"I swear that girl is just like her parents; she's the spitting image of Nikki and she's smart like Robbie," Sirius commented.

"So, have they told Nikki's parents yet?"

"I don't know," Jane answered. "Tracy didn't say in the letter." She looked over and suddenly realized something. "We're so sorry, Lily, you must be so confused. We're going on about these people and you don't even have any idea who they are."

"It's fine. Besides, I think I have the gist of who everyone is. I assume that Tracy is Mark's wife. Then Robbie is their son, Nikki's his wife, and then they're daughter is Mariah."

"Actually, Robbie and Nikki are only engaged, but yeah, you got it."

For the rest of lunch, everyone ate and talked. Forty-five minutes after he had arrived, Mike announced that he needed to get going. He kissed his wife on the forehead, said goodbye, and Apparated with a pop. Lily and Jane were standing at the sink with the dirty dishes. Lily had insisted on helping. James and the others were outside. There was a knock on the glass door; the two women looked over to see Sirius standing on the other side. He pointed to Lily and then to James, who could be seen just barely. Lily and Jane watched as Sirius turned around, hugging himself, and moving his head from side to side. His hands were restless on his back, one moved up to his hair while the other inched its way down to his lower back. He turned back around and winked at Lily. Lily glanced over at James; he was rubbing his forehead, shaking his head. Jane and Lily looked at each other, shrugging.

"How in the world do you put up with them?" 

"I ask myself that same thing every summer," Jane answered with a laugh.

Lily laughed as well.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Sirius popped his head in.

"Hey, Lily, would you come out here, please? James wants you. I mean, he really wants you."

"Padfoot, would you knock it off?" asked James' voice.

Sirius, ignoring his friend, continued. "He's practically drooling; it's not a pretty sight."

"Padfoot," James' voice was filled with exasperation.

"You may have to hold him down. On the other hand, he may the one pinning you down. It's too early to tell-"

"I'm serious."

Finally acknowledging his friend, Sirius looked over.

"No, you're James. I'm Sirius."

James replied with something that neither Jane nor Lily could make out. Sirius poked his head back inside. "I'll be right back," he said before closing the door.

For what was probably the first time in her life, Lily was at a loss for words. She continued to stare at the closed door for a few seconds. Finally, after about half a minute of silence, she spoke.

"Is that all guys think about?"

"Pretty much," Jane answered, even though the question had been rhetorical.

Lily laughed, shaking her head. She and Jane went back to the dishes. Even though they were using magic, it was taking unusually long with all the interruptions. A minute or two later, the sliding door opened again and Sirius walked in, following closely behind him was James.

"I told you I didn't want to do it," James said.

Lily and Jane noticed a gash on Sirius' left cheek.

"What happened?" Jane asked as she walked over to the boys and led Sirius over to the table, sitting him down in the chair.

"I pushed him," James answered.

"You did what?" Jane asked, examining the cut. James knew she had heard him, and he also knew better than to repeat himself. "Why would you do such a thing?" She took the wet washrag Lily had brought over.

James stood their silently and Sirius spoke. "I asked him to."

Suddenly, anger flashed in Jane's' hazel eyes. "You two had better not have been rough housing, I told you not to after what happened last time."

Again, Sirius spoke. "We weren't rough housing. I told James to hit me because I felt bad about what I said when he and Lily came in from outside, but he refused. So, I told him that I would just keep saying stuff until he agreed." To Lily: "That's what that was about." He turned his attention back to Jane. "So, after I went back over to him, he said he'd had enough, but he still wouldn't hit me. I turned to go back to the door-"

"And I didn't want him to say anything else to you, Lily, so I shoved him-"

"And I lost my balance," Sirius announced, regaining the spotlight, "and tripped. He didn't push me hard; it was actually quit pitiful."

"I didn't want to hit you," James repeated through clenched teeth. "And this is why." He motioned to the cut on his friends face.

Lily and Jane stood listening to the story, wordlessly. Jane pointed her wand at the cut, muttered a spell, and stood up before speaking.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage but, Sirius, when you feel about something, it would be better to find some other way to relieve your guilt. One that doesn't involve physical harm, okay?"

"All right," Sirius said, standing from the chair. "Thanks, Jane."

"And, James," she turned to her son. "Next time, find another solution to the problem. I understand that you didn't want him saying those things to Lily but shoving him is not the answer. It would be easier just to ignore. Lily's a tough girl, she can handle a little immature banter."

James nodded. "Okay, thanks, mom."

"That's what I'm here for," Jane said.

In the next second, the boys were heading for the door again. Lily and Jane looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Sirius has a bit-uh...unusual way of making up for his mistakes, doesn't he?" Lily asked.

"Well, that's how he was raised," Jane said. "In his house, mistakes, problems, and whatever else were solved with violence instead of talking it out. It's rather programmed into his brain, but he's getting better. When he first started coming around, that's how he solved all his problems. If he and James were arguing, it would end in a fistfight. Nevertheless, he's not violent toward others anymore, just himself. Mike and I have been working on it though."

Suddenly, Lily saw James' parents in a new light. She had more respect for them, but before Lily could say anything else, the door opened once again and the three boys walked in.

"Hey, Lily, we're going to go swimming. Would you care to join us?" James asked.

"Sure."

Lily followed the three boys upstairs and walked to her room. She was holding the strings of her top, trying to tie it, but her hair kept getting in the way. She walked over to the dressed and grabbed a ponytail when there was a knock on the door. Pulling the strings back tight, she called for the person to come in.

James walked into the room, he was only in his trunks and had a white towel slung over his shoulder. Another towel was in his hand.

"I brought you a towel," he told Lily.

"Thanks," Lily said, "You can just put it on the bed."

James did what she requested and was heading for the door when he noticed her situation.

"I could help you with that if you'd like."

Lily thought about denying his offer, but she realized that even with her hair out of the way, it would be difficult to get the strings tight enough.

"Sure."

"Really?" James asked, surprised. He hadn't really expected her to agree. 

"Yeah."

James walked over and took the strings in his hands while Lily pulled her long hair off her back. She was impressed at the way James tied the strings; they weren't too tight, but they also weren't so loose that her front fell forward.

"Thanks."

"No problem," James said. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Just a second," Lily said, pulling on a pair of shorts and slipping on flip-flops. "Ready."

The two of them walked over to door when Lily stopped.

"I almost forgot my towel."

"I got it." James reached over and grabbed the towel off her bed.

When they reached the living room, Sirius and Remus were talking.

"It's about time," Sirius said, looking over as the two walked into the room.

James was about to tell him to lay off, but Lily spoke before he had the chance.

"Sorry, but James came into my room in only his trunks. I couldn't help myself; I had to have him right then and there."

"Really?" Sirius asked.

Lily rolled her eyes before going into the kitchen.


	10. Afternoon Swim

CHAPTER 10: AFTERNOON SWIM

The three boys walked behind Lily outside.

"So, was Lily being serious, Prongs? Did you two really do anything?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius, if they really did anything, don't you think James would look a bit more cheerful?"

Sirius merely shrugged. "Not necessarily. Maybe she wasn't that good. I mean, just because a girl's hot doesn't mean she's going to be great."

"And obviously just because a guy gets good marks in school doesn't mean he's the sharpest tool in the shed," Lily said from ahead of the group.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm standing five feet in front of you and I can hear every word you're saying. Also, it means that not every girl is going to jump into bed with a bloke that she's hated for six years just because they get along for a day. Not to mention, that it usually consumes more time than it takes to tie a swimming suit top."

"So, you two didn't do anything?"

Lily sighed and continued walking to the pool. About ten feet in front of it, she stopped, removed her shorts and shoes, placed her towel next to the clothes and made her way over to the pool, where she jumped in without hesitation. As she came to the surface, she heard Sirius yell "Calibunga," a huge splash following his voice, which was preceded by a slightly smaller splash. Lily wiped the water from her eyes to find James standing by the edge of the pool, gaping at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just unusual how easily you got in the pool," James replied as he walked closer to the edge.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," James said slowly, now sliding into the pool. "Most girls have to be coerced into the pool; some even have to be thrown in. Even those who go in volunteering at least test the water and slowly make their way in, but not you." James noticed the look on her face. "Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, I think it's pretty cool."

Lily merely nodded, unsure of what to say. As usual, Sirius broke the silence.

"Oi, Prongs, get over here."

James smiled at Lily before swimming over to his friend.

"What?"

Remus appeared next to Lily.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"It's been a crazy day, hasn't it?" he asked.

Lily laughed. "That's for sure."

There was an awkward silence.

"So, you like to swim?" Remus asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you have some kind of fascination with water?"

"Huh?"

"Well, the other night you were outside in the rain, and you love to swim, so..."

"Oh, well, I guess I get it from my dad; he used to take me out in the rain and I've always loved to swim."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Lily felt a hand on her ankle and within seconds was under water. She kicked her feet. She felt her free foot come into contact with some something and it released her ankle. She came to the surface, James following seconds after. He was clutching his nose. Sirius was a few feet away, laughing.

"You kicked me in the nose," James stated the obvious.

"Serves you right for pulling me under," Lily told him as she splashed water in his face.

James removed his hand from his nose. "You did not just splash me."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I did."

"What, kicking me in the face wasn't enough?"

"I only kicked you to get you to let go," Lily said, a smile forming on her lips. "In fact, I think you may even deserve to get splashed again." With that, she pushed more water at him.

"Oh, it's on," James informed her. "I hope you can swim as well as you dive."

"James, no!" Lily screamed as he lunged at her.

Lily kicked herself back a little before turning around to swim. She felt a pair of strong hands on her shoulders, pushing her under water. Ten seconds later, she came up sputtering and gasping for air. She turned to face James.

"You jerk," she said, splashing him. "I hate-" Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "Ow, ow."

"Lily, what's wrong?" James asked with concern.

"I've got a cramp."

"Ew, you're on your period and you're swimming?" Sirius asked disgusted.

"It's not that type of cramp, you dolt. It's in my leg and it hurts. I need to get out."

"I'll help you," James offered at once. He hoisted himself out of the pool.

On all fours, he held out his hand for Lily. She grabbed onto the outstretched hand and pulled as she could. James fell back into the pool with a splash. Lily was laughing as he came back up.

"Why you little-" James swam towards her.

"Truce, James. Let's call a truce."

He stopped in front of her and considered the hand she was offering.

"Fine. Truce." He shook the hand.

"Good."

James saw Sirius walk over to them; he stood behind Lily.

"Padfoot, don't even think about it."

Lily made to turn around, but before she had the chance, Sirius' hands were on her head, pushing her under. Once again, she came up gasping for air. She cleaned the water out of her eyes and noticed that she wasn't the only one who was furious.

"Sirius," James' voice was low, yet dangerous. "I told you not to." He took a step closer.

"James, I've got this. I'll handle it," Lily insisted as she shoved her elbow, hitting something firm.

She smiled triumphantly when she heard Sirius gasp. She turned around to find him hanging onto the edge of the pool trying to catch his breath.

"You're lucky you're Cassie's boyfriend, otherwise I would have aimed lower."

"What does him dating Cassie have to do with anything?" James asked.

"Well, if they ever grow up and have kids, I don't want it to be my fault if the kid's retarded. I mean, being Sirius' child it's already going to have enough problems. Why add to that?"

"I see your point."

"I can hear you two, you know," Sirius said. "I'm right here."

James was unable to keep the smile off of his face.

"Sod off," Sirius muttered darkly.

Lily glanced behind her and grinned at James. He smiled back at her, but then his face melted into one of concern.

"Hold still."

"What?"

"You have a bug in your hair."

"Where?" Lily reached her hand up to her hair. Now, she was never one to be afraid of a small bug, but that didn't mean she wanted one crawling around in her hair.

"Hold still," James repeated. "I'll get it." He stood directly in front of her and reached his hand up to her soaking hair.

He pulled the squirming water beetle out of her red locks. He set the bug down in the grass. Lily glanced up at him as he stayed where he was. Their eyes bore into each other and Lily got an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was like a swarm of butterflies; she fought to stand upright as her knees went weak. The feelings between them both excited and scared her. Then, she realized whom it was she was staring at, having these feelings for and stepped back.

"Well," she began after she remembered to breath and found her voice. "This has been fun, but I believe I've swallowed enough water for a while."

With that, she pulled herself out of the pool and made her way over to her towel and clothes. She wrapped the towel around her waist and grabbed her shorts and shoes, pressing them to her chest. Once, she reached the glass door, she opened it hastily and walked inside. Leaning against the wall, she pressed her hand to her chest where her heart was beating rapidly, hoping to steady it.

"Everything all right?"

Lily jumped; she didn't notice Jane had been in the room.

"Yeah, fine."

"Are you sure? You look a little out of breath." Lily didn't trust the twinkle in Jane's hazel eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Lily insisted. "I'm just going to go dry off and get dressed."

She walked up the steps. Once in the safety of her room, she closed the door behind her and tried not to think of the moment between her and James in the pool.

"Get a grip, Lily, this is Potter we're talking about," she told herself. She decided a shower would be the best way to clear her head.

Lily had peeled off her swimming suit and was headed for the bathroom when there was a knock on her door.

"Lily?" James' voice asked from the other side.

"Just a second," Lily called back as she wrapped the towel around herself.

She walked over the door, opening it just enough to stick her head out.

"Yeah?"

"I was just checking to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine. I was just going to get a shower." Care to join me? Wait, where did that come from? Fortunately, she only thought it and didn't speak it aloud.

"Okay," James said. "I'll just leave you to it, then."

Lily closed the door after he walked off and decided that a cold shower would be best.


	11. Midnight Flight

**Here's the next chapter, and congratulations, you are now officially caught up and waiting for the next chapter just like the rest of my readers. I would like to think my beta, social loner for the changes and revisions she made to this chapter. I hope you all like and let me know what you think.**

CHAPTER 11: MIDNIGHT FLIGHT

Lily dreamt that someone was flying past her window. But now she was wide-awake and certain that someone had just soared past the glass.

Throwing the covers back, the redhead climbed out of bed. She stood at her window and looked out at the silhouette of a person on a broom floating through the air in constant movement. As the figure came closer, she was able to make out small details and immediately recognized the black hair and shirtless, muscular build. She opened the window and stuck her head out.

"James!" Her shout became lost in the night and went unheard. She  
called his name a few more times before finally achieving success.

James turned the broom around with ease and made his way over to the window.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked him.

"I'm flying."

"But it's the middle of the night," Lily pointed out.

"It's how I clear my head," James answered. Lily still thought you would have to be mental to fly outside in the dark. James attempted to help put it into perspective. "Just like you play in the rain after a stressful day, I fly." He studied her for a moment. "Want to join me?"

"Sure," Lily answered without a second's hesitation. "I'll be right  
down."

After closing the window, she left the room. It was only as she walked down the steps that she remembered her hatred of heights. However, she couldn't turn back now; she'd just have to go along with it. She couldn't tell James that she was afraid of heights, though she wasn't sure why. She tried telling herself it was because she feared he would tease her for it. Yet, she didn't really think he would do that. Maybe it was because she didn't want him to know about her flaw, so to speak. She wanted him to like her. Not that she would ever admit that to herself.

Lily became so wrapped up in her thoughts that before she knew it, she was standing in front of the glass doors that led outside. Exhaling slowly, she slid the door open. The warm night air washed over her as she stepped outside and the grass prickled her bare feet. She saw James fly down, landing the broom just feet beside her.

"Hi," James greeted.

"Hey."

"So, have you ever flown before?"

Lily shook her head and James smiled.

"You're in for a real treat," he said. "Front or back?"

Lily didn't dare let herself complete the thought that came to her mind.

"Excuse me?"

"Do you want to be in front of me or behind me?" James explained as if speaking to a child. "On the broom," he clarified further.

"Oh."

"What did you think I meant?"

"Nothing. I just spaced I guess," Lily replied, her cheeks warming. "It doesn't matter, which ever will be easier for you."

"Well, if you were behind me, it would be somewhat easier to control the broom. However, if you're in front of me, I can hold on to you. If you were to almost fall off, that is," he added quickly.

Lily remained silent. "Personally, I would prefer if you were in front," James added with a small smile.

"All right. That's fine." Lily kept her feet planted on the spot.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah," Lily took a step closer.

"Everyone's a bit nervous their first time."

Lily couldn't control the voice telling her it sounded as if they were about to do something more than just fly. Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to rid the thoughts, while the other part prayed she wouldn't be affected by this notion. This was James Potter; she wasn't supposed to have these feelings towards him.

James lowered the broom, making it easier for Lily to climb on. His arms pressed against her sides as he raised the broom, putting it at a slight angle. After he had a firm hold, he wrapped one arm around her middle. Lily could feel his body heat radiating off him as well as his muscles pressed against her back. Their skin separated only by the thin cloth that was her shirt.

"Hold on to my arm." His voice was barely audible in her ear.

Lily did as instructed.

"Ready?"

Lily could only nod.

James kicked up and she felt her feet leave the safety of the ground. Unable to look at the earth that was steadily growing further away, she squeezed her eyes shut.

"You all right?" Lily heard the smile in his voice.

It was then that she realized she had been gripping his arm. She loosened her hold. Again, she could only nod, fearing that opening her mouth would result in her getting sick.

"It's better if you open your eyes," James told her gently.

Lily opened one eye, then the other. Just as she was about to squeeze them shut again, she stopped and drew in a breath. The stars were just feet in front of her. She felt like she could just reach out and touch one, though in reality, the stars were still miles and miles away. Looking around, she could also see the tops of the trees and houses from down the road. Working up her courage, she glanced downward. The ground was so far away; the massive pool looked more like a pond.

What surprised Lily most was her lack of reaction. Fear hadn't hitched itself in her throat, her heart was beating at a normal pace, and she didn't feel like she would get sick. She could see that she was far off the ground, but didn't really think about it. Her thoughts were occupied by the fact that she was here on a broom with James Potter, and she had never felt more exhilarated in her life.

"Wow." Lily could picture the smile she was certain James had formed on his face. "It's beautiful."

"I know." James was silent for a moment. "So, do you just want to sit here or actually fly around?"

"We can fly around," Lily said.

A second later, they were flying from one end of the a house to the other. And a minute after that, James was doing more tricks; taking sharp turns, making small dives. Each time, he tightened his arm around Lily. Each new trick was a thrill. Her heart would race, only slowing down after they had straightened out on the broom. It was like a high; she could feel the blood coursing through her body. It was something she had never experienced before, and she now knew why James loved it so much.

Now, James was going at lightening speed, racing the wind. She was pressed up against him even more and the air stung her eyes, but she barely even noticed. She was terrified and exhilarated at the same time. She heard James cheering. No, wait, not James, her; she was screaming in delight, and she was laughing.

Finally, James slowed down to a normal speed and Lily continued laughing.

"I take it you're having fun?"

Lily smiled with a nod.

"Think you can handle it?"

"Handle what?"

"The broom. Steer it and stuff."

"Oh, um, I don't know. I really don't think I'd be too good at it."

"Trust me. You'll do fine. I'll be right here to help you," James insisted.

Lily nodded hesitantly. "Okay."

"Put your hands up on the broom." James noticed her hesitance to let go of his arm. "I've got you. I won't let go."

Slowly, Lily put one hand on the broom, then the other. James kept his hand in place for a few minutes. Then, he let go, and Lily was in control of the broom. She almost panicked when James removed his hand, but his voice in her ear soothed her. She couldn't tell exactly what he had said, but they sounded like words of comfort and that immediately put her at ease.

For a few minutes, she took it slow, making small turns, taking them higher and nearly asking James to take control again when she was certain that if she took them back down they would crash, but in the end, she managed to fly them back again.

After a while, James took them back down to the ground. When her feet hit the ground, her legs felt like jelly. Stepping off the broom, Lily stumbled a bit. James held onto to her, keeping her steady. He told her to hold still for a minute, let her legs adjust to the ground. She did as instructed and it worked. She walked with James to put the broom back in the shed before they headed towards the house.

James stopped outside Lily's bedroom door.

"Thanks for taking me flying," Lily said. "I had loads of fun."

"It was no problem. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

They stood there awkwardly, staring at each other. It wasn't clear who moved first, but in the next second, his lips were on hers. Both took a step closer, filling the small space between them. James wrapped his arms around her waist while Lily brought her hands to his neck, burying them in his hair. She pushed herself up on tiptoes, deepening the kiss. His lips were warm against her own. He kissed her gently so as not to scare her. However, before long, passion took over and there was nothing gentle about the way his tongue nudged her lips, begging for entrance. Lily immediately obliged, accepting him gracefully. Meeting his passion, her tongue danced with his. In the next second, they slowed their pace, tasting and teasing, becoming familiar with each other. The heat between them built up gradually until they were, once again, kissing with much fervor.

James' hands were everywhere: cupping her face, running through her hair, on her lower back, pushing them closer. He fought to keep them in respectable places. A few seconds later, they pulled away from each other. Lily discovered she was trapped in between the wall and James, unsure of when that had happened. James rested his forehead against hers as they both fought to breath. Lily rested her hand lazily on his arm, the one where his hand was placed on her waist. His other hand was on the wall next to her head. James dipped his head and caught her lips with his own again.

Lily felt something under the curve of her butt and, in the next second, she was being lifted off the ground slightly. She held onto James' neck tighter, pulling him into a deeper kiss. It was easier to meet his lips now that she didn't have to crane her neck to do so. The position heightened the passion, intensified the heat. Lily heard the moan that escaped her lips. She felt, instead of heard, James' response; or rather responses: first one, then the other. His groan filled her mouth, deep and warm. She felt something hard pressing into her thigh and gasped.

James lowered her to the ground carefully and took a small step back. Lily willed herself to keep her eyes on his face and not glance down. His cheeks had flushed a bit and his hazel eyes were glazed over, his breathing labored. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

"I-uh-should probably head to bed," Lily said.

"Yeah, okay."

"Goodnight." Lily walked the few steps to her room.

She closed the door behind her softly and leaned against it. She didn't need to put her hand over her heart to feel it beating rapidly. For the second time that night, her legs felt like jelly; it had become much more apparent now that James wasn't holding her up.

The trip to the bathroom was slow and shaky. She rested against the sink and glanced up. An unfamiliar girl stared back at her from the mirror. The girl looked like Lily, but this was someone she had never seen before. Her dark red hair was mussed and messy, and her emerald eyes were glassy looking. The freckles that sprinkled her nose were darker and her cheeks were flushed. Her rosy lips were swollen. Lily ran her fingers through her hair until it looked slightly better. Glancing down, she tugged on her rumpled shirt.

After splashing water on her face, Lily made her way out of the bathroom. She climbed into bed and fell into a surprisingly easy sleep.


	12. Morning After

**A/N I would like to thank my wonderful beta, Olivia for the small yet significant changes that help this chapter flow. I really liked how this chapter turned out and I hope you all feel the same. Let me know what you think. **

Chapter 12: Morning After

"Do you think we should wake her?"

"I don't know. James said she was up late last night. My question is how does James know Lily was up late?"

"I was wondering that myself."

Lily heard her friend's conversation in a dreamlike state. Great, she was so desperate to see someone other than the Marauders that she was conjuring up her mates in her sleep; she could even feel their weight at the foot of her bed. Wait a minute--she couldn't imagine that. Her best friends were here! The notion caused Lily to sit up so fast it made her head spin.

"Emma, Cassie!" she squealed when the room was once again stationary.

The two girls tackled her in a hug. Lily didn't even mind that she couldn't breathe; after a few crazy days, she needed her friends now more than ever. She had so much she wanted to tell them. Moreover, they couldn't wait to hear all about it.

"So, what's this we hear about a late night?" Cassie inquired once she and Emma had released Lily from their embrace.

"Yeah, spill."

Lily's eyes drifted to her interlaced hands, a blush warmed her cheeks as she remembered her encounter with James. The passion between them had been unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Following her recollection of ecstasy was a less desired remembrance of an equally objectionable dream: a dream that was a reminder of why she and James would never work out. The light knock on her door startled Lily out of her thoughts. The aforementioned door, having received the attention of all three girls, opened slowly. James' head poking into the room dampened Lily's relief of not having to relive the moment between the two of them.

"May I speak to Lily?" A baby step into the sun-lit room accompanied the request.

Lily didn't appreciate the grins her friends shared as they immediately stood from the bed.

"Sure," Cassie said all too innocently. She and Emma were already half-way to the door, clearly intent on leaving them alone.

James awkwardly entered the room further. Lily scowled as her so-called friends closed the door behind them.

"May I?" James asked uncertainly, motioning to the bed.

"Go ahead," said Lily, tugging her knees to her chest in an attempt to ignore the warming sensation in her stomach. The return of such feelings caused Lily's cheeks to burn.

James situated himself at the foot of her bed and their eyes met for a brief second before they both quickly glanced down. James looked up at Lily to find that she was still studying her hands. The same hands she had buried deep in his hair the night before.

"We should probably talk about last night," James suggested nervously.

Lily slowly lifted her head without meeting his eyes, unable to risk seeing desire filling them as they had before, and even more afraid of what she would do if she were to see such yearning in those hazel orbs.

"Yeah, I agree." Finding some place to fix her eyes on proved difficult, as her choices were limited. The lips that had captured her own in sensual kisses; the messy jet-black mane that had hid her fingers; the abdomen that had pressed against hers; his—let's not even go there. The hands that had roamed her body and the arms that had wrapped around her were also out of the question. She finally settled for the wall just past his shoulder.

"So, I…" they both began at the same time after a few moments' silence.

"Sorry." Lily smiled nervously. "What were you going to say?"

"No, you go ahead."

"It's fine. You can-"

"Lily, I'm not exactly sure if you'll agree with what I have to say, so I'd really like to know your take on the whole—"

"Last night was a mistake," Lily blurted.

James looked upon her with confusion. Unable to handle his gaze, Lily's eyes strayed to a loose thread, which she fingered.

"Maybe mistake isn't the right word….Both of us were mesmerized by the moment—the flying, the stars, just the whole situation—and we got caught up in it. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. There's no denying the chemistry between us, but relationships are about more than just chemistry. And, let's face it, we're too different."

Lily couldn't bring herself to look up, dreading the hurt that would undoubtedly show in his eyes. And, to be completely honest, she feared that her own eyes would deceive her. That, despite her words, James would be able to discern her true desire to feel his lips on hers, to feel his body mold to her own. The silence that followed her words hung heavy and thick in the air.

James cleared his throat softly before speaking. "Does this have anything—this isn't because of my…reaction, is it?"

Lily stopped fiddling with the thread and, for the first time that morning, met his eyes. "No, of course not," she insisted. "That was embarrassing, yes, but it hasn't affected my decision in the slightest."

James nodded, ruffling his hair. "I figured as much; you're more mature than that. Just thought I'd ask. Nevertheless, just so you know, I didn't mean for it to happen. We were kissing, and the hormones were going wild, and then you moaned, and I guess that just sent all the blood south—" James stopped, partly from embarrassment and also because their four friends had joined them, having burst into the room.

Lily and James stared at the newcomers, dumbfounded.

"You moaned?" Cassie asked incredulously. "All you were doing was kissing, he made you moan, and you're turning him down?! Are you bloody mad?"

"You lot were listening?" Lily asked daftly.

"James is a good guy, Lily," Remus began, not bothering to offer an explanation to their intrusion of privacy. "He's not going to date you and then dump you. And that whole situation was really something he had no control over."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "I can't tell you the number of times a perfectly good snogging session was ruined because my little guy decided to make himself noticed." He quickly turned to Cassie. "Not that he's—"

"That has nothing to do with this!" Lily demanded angrily. "I'm not some naïve little girl who's going to run away from a bloke because of something that's completely natural. I'm a bit more mature than that. Oooh, James is an actual male with an actual penis. Somebody help! Merlin, I'm not even a virgin for crying out loud!"

All three boys stared at Lily with wide eyes and—

"Is everything all right?" Mike asked awkwardly from his position in the doorway as Lily hugged herself tighter and buried her head in her knees.

James tore his eyes from Lily to look at his father while Sirius and Remus also attempted to avert their eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Okay," Mike said softly before turning to Emma and Cassie. "You two must be Lily's friends. I'm Mike, James' father." He offered a hand.

"I'm Cassie." She took his hand.

"She's mine, Mike, so don't be getting any ideas," Sirius warned jokingly, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist. James noticed Cassie's smile falter.

Emma stated her name. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Potter."

"Please, call me Mike," he insisted, before taking one last look around the room. "I guess I'll just leave all to…whatever it is you were doing."

Once Mike was out of the room, James was about to look back at Lily, but Emma speaking kept his attention.

"Um, Sirius was just kidding, right?" she asked Remus, who regarded her with confusion.

"About what?"

Emma wrung her hands nervously. "About telling Mike to stay away from Cass," she clarified, a blush creeping upon her face. "I mean, Mike would never really--would he?"

A small chuckle surrounded the warm, reassuring smile Remus gave her and Cassie, who was also listening intently. "Of course he was kidding. You know Sirius has a tendency to say things just to see if he can get a reaction out of people." Emma gave a hesitant nod of the head while Cassie still held a weary look, so Remus added, "Besides, do you really think James would allow Lily to come stay the summer at his house if his father was a pervert?"

That convinced both girls. "Okay, I just wasn't sure," Emma said.

"You're such a jerk," Cassie said, punching Sirius in the chest. "I can't believe that with everything going on with you-know-who, and all that, you would say such a horrid thing in a joking manner."

"Ow, bloody hell, that hurt," cried Sirius, rubbing his sore chest. "I was only kidding; I didn't know it would offend you. I'm sorry," he offered his apology, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Can you ever forgive me?" He flashed Cassie a heart-warming smile accompanied by puppy-dog eyes.

Cassie rolled her own eyes at the pitiful boy but smiled nonetheless. "I already have," she assured him with a kiss.

James gaped at the audacity of their friends. Here Lily was, practically  
mortified, and they were carrying on a conversation as if all was good and  
jolly. Clearing his throat rather harshly got their attention. When all four were looking at him, he jerked his head towards the redhead—who's head was still buried in her knees—and scowled. Their friends, though inconsiderate gits, were quite perceptive and immediately got the hint.

"Um, we'll just be outside," Remus declared as he and the others turned to leave the room.

Lily and James were alone once again and Lily could feel James' eyes on her. With much reluctance, she raised her head to meet his warm, gentle gaze. She locked her eyes on his and took advantage of the silence between them.

"James, I know you're a good guy, but I think it's just too soon for us to jump into a relationship." As she spoke, she fought to keep the tremble from her voice and was greatly relieved when James nodded slightly.

"I'll admit, I was hoping for a different outcome, but if this is what you want, I respect that. In addition, just so you know, I knew you wouldn't let what happened affect your opinion of me. I wanted to make it clear that I'm not just attracted to you physically. It's more than that. Way more."

It was Lily's turn to nod as James stood from the bed. He was halfway to the door when she called his name.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her.

"We can still be friends, right?"

"Of course," James assured her before continuing to the door, which he opened.

He wasn't the least bit surprised to find the others standing outside.

Remus and Sirius watched him with sympathy, as did Cassie and Emma before going into the room and joining Lily on the bed.

"You okay?" Emma asked, placing her hand on Lily's knee.

"Yeah," Lily said. "But I need to get dressed. I'll be down in a minute."

Emma and Cassie nodded in understanding as they stood to leave the room. Climbing out of bed was a slow process and picking out something to wear was even worse. While getting dressed, Lily convinced herself that this was best for everyone while at the same time resisting the urge to run to James as is—in various stages of being clothed—and snogging him. She finally managed to pull on her shirt and went into the bathroom. While brushing her teeth, she refrained from looking in the mirror—the same mirror in which she had seen her disheveled state last night.

After she was presentable, Lily left her room and walked down to the kitchen where everyone else was sitting at the table. All eyes turned to her as she entered. She examined her options in terms of seating—Cassie was sitting on Sirius' lap; Emma and Remus were sitting next to each other, and James sat  
beside Remus as he peeled an orange. Deciding that between Sirius and Emma was best, she headed in that direction when she heard Jane's voice.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Jane crooned. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to make an appearance. We saved you some pancakes from breakfast."

"What time is it?" In all that had happened, Lily hadn't thought to check a clock.

"Eleven," Jane answered, retrieving a plate from the oven.

She placed it in front of the now-seated Lily and summoned a fork. Just looking at the food made Lily's stomach churn.

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry," she insisted, as Jane studied her, she added. "I'll just wait for lunch," she suggested, hoping this would appease the woman. Luckily, it did.

"Well, all right," she said, taking the plate back.

Lily glanced up saw James look away from the corner of her eye. When she glanced over at him, he was staring intently at the orange as if it were some scientific mystery.


	13. What Are Friends For?

Chapter 13: What Are Friends For?

"Hey, let's go outside," suggested Sirius, sliding Cassie off his lap in order to stand up.

The others assented with 'Okays' and 'Sures' as they also stood from the table. Sirius took Cassie's hand as they started for the door with everyone following behind.

"So, you sort of went a little postal earlier," said Emma, walking next to Lily as Remus made his way over to James.

"That's an understatement," Lily stated with a scoff. "I yelled about James' privates and then announced that I wasn't a virgin. I bet the boys loved that bit of information," she said laughing without really knowing why.

"I'm sure Mike found the information…interesting," Emma joked, immediately regretting it. Much to her surprise, and relief, Lily merely shook her head.

"Oh, yeah, that was the best part," was all Lily managed before going into a fit of giggles. It felt good to laugh, even if she felt like a right maniac. The laughter was contagious and soon Emma doubled over beside her.

"What's so funny?" Cassie asked, staring back at her friends with confusion as they leaned on each for support and struggled to walk.

"Did we miss something?" Sirius muttered to James, who responded with a shrug.

"I don't know, nor do I really care; I'm just glad to see Lily happy again." He stared back at Lily and Emma and couldn't help but smile as he watched Lily dig her head into Emma's shoulder. He was proud of himself for thinking to invite Cassie and Emma, and even happier for going through with it.

He loved hearing her laugh and he would give any thing to keep her happy, even if that meant putting his own selfish needs aside; even when every bone in his body was telling him that they belonged together, he would do as she asked.

The six friends sprawled out--or in Lily and Emma's case, collapsed--on the warm grass next to the pool while the girls finally recovered from their fit. Cassie settled herself in Sirius' lap and glanced around, taking in the rather large garden.

"James, your house is so big. I've never seen anything like it," she said, awestruck. "This pool"--she dipped her hand into the water--"is just barely smaller than the community pool in my town. And Lily's room, which I assume is a guest room, is the size of our living room at the flat."

"Did they give you a tour?" Lily asked. The sun-warmed water felt wonderful as she slipped her feet in the pool, her shoes beside her.

"Nope, not yet," Cassie answered, fingering a hole in the knee of Sirius' jeans.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sirius, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I showed you where my room is."

A shake of the head--protested by Emma, who was attempting to braid her red hair--accompanied Lily's snort. "Sirius, that does not count as a tour. There are at least a dozen other rooms in the house."

"Yeah, but she knows where the kitchen is, and there's a bathroom in your room. I just needed to show her how to get to my room. What other rooms does she need to see?"

Cassie rolled her eyes but was unable to suppress the smile forming on her lips.

"What about Emma?" Lily's nod in the aforementioned girl's general direction resulted in a sharp tug of her red hair. She bit back a yelp as she continued. "I'm sure she'd like to see the rooms in the house."

"What, do you mean Mo--Oof." Sirius stopped short as Remus elbowed him in the stomach. "Bloody hell, mate, what was that for?" Sirius scowled, catching his breath. "You know, one of these days you lot are going to hit my kidney or some other vital organ."

"Maybe if you'd learn to keep your mouth shut, we wouldn't have to hit you," Remus mumbled under his breath."

Sensing the tension, Lily jumped to her feet--"Lily!" Emma yelled--and grabbed her shoes.

"How about that tour?" she proposed cheerfully.

Luckily, it worked and everyone agreed much in the same way they had to Sirius' suggestion. Standing from the ground, they brushed dirt and grass from their pants--Cassie swatted Sirius away as he attempted to help her.

Lily led the way into the house, showing her friends the various rooms. The boys followed, speaking amongst themselves. After the tour, the group made their way back to the kitchen where Jane was just about done with lunch.

"What are we having, Mum?" James asked as his parents promptly stepped away from each other. Having processed his parent's previous state, he groaned. "Bloody hell, haven't you two ever heard of a room?"

"Watch your mouth," Mike demanded, admiring his wife from the island.

"James, dear, would you set the table, please?" Jane asked, using her wand to turn down the flames beneath a large pot.

"Yes, Mum," grumbled James, passing his father on his way to the cabinet while the others seated themselves at the table.

Honestly, Lily had no idea what prompted her to do it, but in the next second, she was offering to help. The sideways glance James gave her as she fell into step with him resembled the one she was giving herself on the inside.

"Thanks," James said awkwardly, handing her a stack of plates.

"Lily, I'm sure James could handle it. You're a guest here," Mike protested, already standing beside Jane once again.

"It's fine, really. I don't mind helping," Lily insisted, already setting a plate in front of Remus.

She ignored the looks of confusion as she continued placing plates on the table. The room was unusually silent, which only amplified the awkwardness as she and James collided with each other. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before Lily muttered an apology.

Stepping back, Lily nearly tripped over a chair. She would have crashed to the floor if it weren't for James reaching out and catching her just in time, unconsciously pressing her closer to him. All eyes fell on them as they stood that way for a few seconds--which actually felt like an eternity--both knowing they should move, but neither doing so. Lily stared at the only thing in her line of vision, James' chest, and the hand that was upon it.

James loosened his grip just a little. Lily checked for obstacles as she took a step back; James' hand still lingered on the small of her back. Lily hadn't anticipated that her wish for something, anything, to take the attention off her and James would actually come true. She also never would have expected the diversion to be Emma leaning over and kissing Remus. Even Jane and Mike gaped at the lip-locking couple.

Lily noticed that Remus stiffened at first but soon kissed Emma back, his hand cupping her face. She was eternally grateful for her friend, knowing that she had done it to turn attention away from her own situation.

"Go, Remus!" Sirius hooted, signaling the separation of their friends.

Emma's face brightened immediately as she pulled back to her own chair, her fingers touching her lips. Remus also straightened in his chair, wiping his own mouth. They both made a great effort not to look at the other. Lily managed to catch Emma's eye and silently thanked her, earning a small nod from Emma.

Mike alternated between looking at Emma, Remus, James, and Lily as he took his seat. Lily and James also accommodated themselves in chairs next to their friends.

"Well," Jane said, startling everyone as she broke the silence. Lily got the distinct feeling that she was not used to this much drama taking place in her kitchen. "Lunch is ready, so I hope you're all hungry."

The aroma of chicken and dumplings filled the room as she carried the large pot over to the table, placing it in the center.

"This smells wonderful," Cassie complimented.

"Would you all like some lemonade?" Jane asked, heading over to the icebox.

Remus stood from the table. "I'll get it."

"What is this, Put the Guest to Work Day?" Mike asked, motioning for both Remus and his wife to take their seats as he stood.

"No, really, let me," Remus insisted, ignoring Mikes protest. "I need something to do anyway."

Jane opened her mouth to protest but closed it hesitantly as Remus headed back to the table, jug of lemonade in hand. He poured the liquid in the glasses James and Lily had placed on the table. Giving Emma a small, uncertain smile when he got to her. By the time Remus finished filling everyone's glass, Jane had already made his plate.

Forced conversation and averted glances filled the room. After lunch, Lily had offered to help Jane with dishes as she had the day before, but Mike had maintained his opposition.

"Lily, you helped set the table; Jane and I can handle the dishes," Mike persisted, taking the dishrag from the redhead. "You go hang out with your friends."

Lily looked hesitantly at Jane, who also nodded. "Go on, we've got it covered."

Lily went to living room where Emma was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at Cassie and Sirius, a tangled mess in the chair whispering amongst themselves.

"Where are James and Remus?" Lily asked, sitting next to Emma.

"I think they went up to James' room," Sirius answered, glancing up at the newcomer. "Speaking of rooms, Cassie and I will be in mine," he announced as-a-matter-of-factly while disentangling himself from his girlfriend and pulling them both to their feet.

Cassie looked at Lily and Emma with pleading eyes. "You two don't mind, do you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, go ahead."

"Thank you!" Cassie squealed, as Sirius pulled her out of the room.

Lily watched Emma for a few seconds before speaking. "Emma, I don't even know how to begin thanking you. I mean, you've got to be the bravest person I know."

Emma scoffed. "If I was brave, then I would be able to look Remus in the eye and tell him how I feel."

"Don't you think kissing him in a room full of people sent a pretty clear message?"

"I only kissed him to turn the attention away from you and James. I figured you'd been gawked at enough for one day." Emma sighed. "You'd think that kissing him would make it easier to tell him I fancy him. There's still a chance that he doesn't like me. I mean, yeah, he kissed me back, but what does that prove--" Lily pulling Emma up from the couch cut off her words. "Lily, what--"

"C'mon, you did something completely selfless to help me out, so now I'm going to return the favor." Before Emma could say anything, Lily added, "You're going upstairs and telling Remus exactly how you feel."

Emma twisted her arm from Lily's grip. "No, Lily, I can't do that. I just can't. What if he doesn't like me?"

"Em, anything's better than this. The uncertainty is eating away at you. Moreover, what if he does fancy you? You'll be kicking yourself if you could've been together this whole time. And so what if he doesn't like you? There's plenty of other fish in the sea. But you'll never know if you don't put yourself out there."

Lily put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "Emma, what you did for me was going beyond the duty of being a friend, now it's my turn to help you do something you can't do for yourself."

Emma hesitated for a few seconds but finally nodded. "Okay, fine."

The words had barely left her mouth before Lily was practically dragging Emma up the steps. Lily didn't release her hold on the girls arm until they reached James' room. Lily knew Emma would never announce their presence, so she raised her hand to knock on the door. She paused midway when she caught part of Remus and James' conversation. With a shared look, the two girls leaned closer, pressing their ears to the door.

"--she only did that to take attention away from you and Lily. I'm telling you she doesn't fancy me!"

"Remus, you don't know that."

"Yeah, I do…Okay, maybe I don't, but what if I'm right?"

"What if you're wrong? Remus, you deserve to be happy and so does Emma--"

"He really does like me," Emma whispered with a tug on Lily's shirt, her grin stretching across her face.

Lily mouthed, "I told you so," before turning her attention back to the conversation.

"--describe how it felt to kiss her."

"I can't."

"C'mon, Remus, don't be prudent, just tell me how--"

"That's just it, I can't. I don't know how to describe it. It was soft and firm, passionate and tame, sensual and innocent, sweet and hot all at the same time. The world boiled down to just me and her….But that's just how I felt, it doesn't necessarily mean she feels the same."

The next thing Lily knew, Emma was bursting into the room. The two boys gaped at her with confusion.

"Emma?" Remus stood from the bed as Emma marched up to him boldly. They stared at each other for what seemed like an hour.

"I felt that too," Emma stated suddenly.

With a shared glance, Lily and James took that as their cue to leave.

**Since this story has been mosty third person limited (Lily) I wrote a one-shot for the scene between Emma and Remus. It's called 'The One I Fancy.' To read it, veiw my profile. **


	14. Interruptions

Chapter 14: Interruptions

Lily and James stood alone in the otherwise empty hallway, both fully aware--but choosing to ignore--the fact that just a few feet down, they had shared what was possibly the most passionate moment of their lives. The air surrounding them was thick with their silence, only broken by Lily's small cough, which echoed in the spacious hall.

James watched Lily--for reasons unbeknownst to even him--but tore his eyes from her as she shifted uncomfortably under his stare. Unaware of her actions, however, she found herself observing him, taking note of his mannerisms. Such as the way he nervously ruffled his unruly hair, how his shoulders went slack, and shuffling his feet slightly.

"So, what do you want to do?"

Had Lily not been scrutinizing James, she would have missed the slight jump of his shoulders. His head snapped up so quickly she nearly cringed. Meeting her eyes for a fleeting second, he shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "Everyone else is busy, so I guess we'll have to entertain each other."

Lily shook off the beginning contemplation of ways they could entertain each other.

"We could go downstairs, I guess," she suggested with a dry mouth. "I could really use something to drink."

"Sounds good to me," James answered immediately.

Wordlessly, Lily trailed behind him, wondering when she had taken to following James' lead without hesitance. Once again, she found herself lost in thought, her eyes fixed on James' form. His snug-fitting shirt outlined the muscles of his back; she didn't know he had a scar on the back of his neck…. Lily had to stop abruptly to prevent colliding with him.

Neither of them expected to see James' parents in full snogging mode upon entering the kitchen. James' audible groan caused the separation of the two adults. Mike blushed slightly upon seeing Lily, but was otherwise unashamed of his actions. Jane, however, hurried to tidy up the sink, trying--and failing--to hide the grin on her face.

"Does this house have a sign that says, 'Snog Central'?" James irritability broke the awkward silence forming.

"Where's everyone else?" Jane deflected her son's rhetorical question with one of her own.

Lily watched as the older woman straightened her blouse, her eyes on Mike's form disappearing through the doorway. James' voice answering his mother's question caught Lily's attention. She saw him walking back over near her, barely even aware that he had left her side.

"Emma and Remus are settling a few things, and I imagine Sirius and Cassie are doing pretty much the same thing as you and Dad were," James explained blatantly, earning a glare from his mother. "Here you go."

Standing in front of Lily, he held out a glass of lemonade.

"Huh?" Lily gaped at the cup he was offering with a puzzled look, and was soon receiving a similar gaze from James.

"You said you were thirsty, right?"  
"Oh, yeah," Lily confirmed, recalling the reason they were in the kitchen. "Thanks." Taking the cold drink, she sipped a small amount.

The two decided upon sitting in the living room, sitting a considerable distant apart from each other. The heavy silence swallowed any words that might be spoken between them. Finally, after a few seconds, James spoke, startling Lily's gaze--intently set on her lemonade--to him.

"Is this how it's going to be between us now?"

"Pardon?" Lily asked, shifting in her seat, and resisting the urge to move as James slid closer to her.

"This awkwardness. Are we going to sit in silence every time we're alone together?" he clarified. Lily was painfully aware that James was a mere foot away from her. "I mean, we can't pretend last night never happened, but does that mean we have to let it put a wall between us?"

"No," answered Lily quietly, eyes still set upon him.

Her next words, however, were cut off by footsteps descending down the staircase. Grateful for the distraction, Lily turned to see Emma and Remus entering the room, hand-in-hand. Lily noticed that the couples' lips were considerably darker and their clothes somewhat ruffled. There was no use trying to suppress her smile as the two newcomers sat next to each other on the couch.

"No need to ask what happened after we left," James mused, taking in his friend's appearance. "Are we to assume that you're together now?"

With a grin that lit her whole face, Emma nodded. "Yes, you are."

With a rather high-pitched squeal, Lily leaped to her friend's side and embraced her in a hug. James, whom the redhead had nearly trampled, pressed himself against the back of the couch and shared a glance with Remus. Both boys shook their heads, knowing they would never be able to understand girls.

"I'm so happy for you," Lily was gushing. "I told you he fancied you, didn't I?"

Emma's ears brightened slightly as she timidly nodded her head.

"Where's Cassie and Sirius?" asked Remus in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject.

"They're still upstairs," answered James, hooking his thumb towards the steps.

"I wonder what they're doing," Emma remarked, amused.

"Let's find out," Lily suggested. The others thought she was kidding, that is until she stood from the couch.

Immediately agreeing to disrupt their friends' alone time, the group headed up the stairs. However, they got more than they bargained for when they opening Sirius' door. The couple, clad in only their underwear, was on Sirius' bed with Cassie pinned beneath her boyfriend.

"You two don't waste any time, do you?" James inquired, causing the couple's attention to snap toward the newcomers. Noticing Sirius' death glare, he smirked before adding, "By the way, this whole barging-in-on-Sirius-and-Cassie thing was Lily's idea." He motioned to the redhead standing in the doorway behind him.

"Cass, I am so sorry," Lily apologized, with a feeble attempt to stop laughing. "We'll just leave so you can get dressed--or continue what you were doing," she added with a smile. "C'mon," she told James, who resisted slightly when she tugged on the back of his shirt.

Cassie was the first to emerge from the room a minute later, still flushed and straightening her clothes.

"I hate you all," she stated, running her fingers through her hair.

Once again, James pointed at Lily. "It was her idea," he repeated, earning a punch in the chest from the redhead as she immediately defended herself.

"I suggested it, that didn't mean you had to agree."

"Evil," Sirius muttered, appearing behind Cassie, a scowl firmly set on his face. He was still shrugging into his shirt, angrily pulling it down over his torso. With a slight shake of his head, his long hair fell back into place. "Everyone one of you."

Lily's glare prevented James from blaming her a third time, verbally that is. It didn't, however, stop him from coughing and shooting a glance in her direction, which Lily chose to ignore. The friends stood in silence for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. Of course, it was Sirius who broke through with words.

"What's with you two?" he asked almost irritably, his eyes focused on Remus and Emma's entwined fingers. "You together?" he added before either could speak.

Remus nodded, Sirius' tone made it easier to suppress his grin.


	15. Dreams

-1Chapter 15: Dreams

"So, Cass, what would have happened in Sirius' room if we hadn't barged in?" Lily asked, pressing a pillow to her stomach as she sat cross-legged on her bed. Emma and Cassie were across from her at the foot of the bed.

Cassie blushed as her two friends grinned at her. She was, however, spared from having to answer as the bedroom door opened and the three boys walked in.

"Damn, aren't you all supposed to be having a pillow fight naked?" Sirius asked, looking slightly disappointed. His hormones had been unusually active throughout the day.

Nobody replied to his remark, a method they found most affective.

"So, what are you girls up to?" Remus asked, sitting on the bed as Emma wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Nothing, we're just talking," Lily answered as she scooted over to give James room on the bed.

"Ooh, talking? About what?" Sirius asked as Cassie played with his hair absentmindedly. He was the most stretched out, with his head in Cassie's lap and his feet next to a disgruntled James who looked at them with disgust.

"About how sexy our men are, of course," Cassie teased, biting the finger he used to stroke her cheek.

"Get a room," Lily said, throwing her pillow at the couple.

"The whole room thing doesn't really work, now does it?" Sirius said, glaring at her.

"It would if you were smart enough to lock the door," Lily retorted, ducking as Sirius threw the pillow back at her.

"No it would work if our _friends _didn't decide it would be funny to barge in!" Sirius spat back.

"It was funny!" Lily replied hotly. "And it's your own fault for not thinking that you friends wouldn't barge in."

"Yeah, well--"

"Guys!" Cassie interrupted, "Chill. It's over now. Just let it go, Sirius!"

"She started it," Sirius grumbled, crossing his arms in a child-like manner.

"Did not," Lily whispered back. 

"Did too," Sirius replied.

"Enough!" Cassie said, glaring at Sirius.

Lily stuck her tongue out at Sirius which received a laugh from James.

"Are you two sure you're not brother and sister?"

"No!" they replied at the same time.

"Jinx," Lily smiled.

"I was just about to say that!" Sirius pouted.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

James glanced at Cassie who was rolling her eyes.

"So, what are you guys up to?" Lily said, promptly changing the subject.

"Not much, just decided to come pester you girls 'cause we were bored."

"Well, you lot are doing a wonderful job of 'pestering' us," Lily said with a little smile to Emma and Remus, who were locking lips.

"We try," James grinned.

At this statement, Lily felt her face brighten and lowered her head slightly.

"Way to go, mate!" Sirius barked. "The point is to get her to fancy you, not think you're some perv!"

"Sirius!" Cassie scolded, slapping him in the chest.

"Ow, that bloody hurt!"

"Well maybe if you would learn to keep your mouth shut then you wouldn't get smacked." James threw a glare at his best mate before turning his attention to the redhead. "Lily?"

"I'm okay, really. It's just weird I guess." She raised her head to look at the other's around her.

"Yeah I know what you mean," James said.

"Ow," Remus' outburst interrupted the awkward silence that was forming.

"Sorry," Emma bashfully, her cheeks reddening. "I got a little…aggressive."

"No, that was fine. It's just something's poking into my side." Remus sat up and pulled a book out from under the cover.

"What's this?" Remus asked examining it.

Lily's eyes widened. "That's mine!" She grabbed it from his hand quickly and hugged it to her chest.

James glanced at her suspiciously, as did everyone else.

"What?"

"Aggressive, huh?" Sirius asked, turning the conversation back to Emma and Remus. Everyone shifted their attention the couple. Or more to the blushing blonde.

Later that evening, as everyone was getting ready for bed, Sirius burst into the room.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded. "Don't you knock? What if one of us had been changing?!"

"That's what I was counting on," Sirius admitted shamelessly. "I am thoroughly disappointed."

"Well I'm sure Cassie won't have any problem making it up to you," Emma snickered.

"Speaking of Cassie, where is she?" Sirius asked, glancing around and noticing her absence from the room.

"Bathroom," Lily said, hooking her thumb to the door.

Sirius walked over to door and knocked lightly on it.

"Come in," Cassie said from the other side.

Sirius opened the door and behind him Lily saw Cassie standing at the sink, brushing her teeth. Sirius closed the door with a mischievous grin.

"I'm gonna go tell Remus goodnight," Emma said, heading to the door.

"Okay. You sleeping there?"

"No, I think I'll sleep here tonight. I don't know. I just think it's too soon to be sharing a bed with him. Even if we wouldn't do anything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Be back in a few," she said, leaving the room.

Lily heard Cassie giggle from inside the bathroom. She didn't want to know.

Lily hurriedly changed into her pajamas before the two emerged from the bathroom. Lily glanced over when she heard the door opening and saw Cassie leading Sirius out.

"Lily, I'm staying with Sirius tonight."

"Okay. G'night you two."

"'Night," the couple replied before leaving the room.

Lily was by herself. She had a fleeting thought of whether or not she should go tell James goodnight. Then she was confused as to why the thought had crossed her mind. Shaking her head slightly, she climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. A few minutes later, Emma returned to the room.

Lily glanced at her friend. Who's cheeks were flushed and lips slightly swollen.

"Now that's what I call a goodnight!" Emma giggled.

Lily smiled and shook her head slightly. The bed moved as Emma climbed over Lily to get onto the bed. Emma had this thing about sleeping by the wall.

"Ouch," Lily said as Emma's knee came down on her hand. "I would've gotten up and let you get in."

"Sorry," Emma said sheepishly.

"It's okay."

The bed groaned and the covers rustled as Emma climbed under them.

"Goodnight, Lily."

"'Night." Lily rolled over. "_Nox._" Darkness filled the room and the two girls fell asleep within minutes.

Lily was running from a masked figure. And it was getting closer. She pushed her burning legs to keep running. She was in the woods; this she only knew because she could somewhat make out the trees as she raced past them. Everything in front of her was a blur. Everything behind and around her was a blur. She didn't know where she was going. Or even where she had come from. All she knew was she had to keep going, to get away from this creature.

It burned. Everything burned. Her legs, her longs. Her mouth was dry. Her heart was pounding in her ears and about to burst from her chest. But she wouldn't stop. She couldn't. She knew that stopping would be a grave mistake. She wasn't sure how she knew this but she felt in her heart, her skin, her bones. It was the only thing she was sure of at this moment. She only coherent thought she could conjure. Her whole mind was set on running. Not tripping. Just keep going. _You're almost there_, she told herself. Though she had no idea where _there_ was.

She didn't even dare look behind her. But she knew it was still behind her. She could hear it breathing. Or was that her? Either way, she didn't look. She knew doing so would distract her. Slow her down. There was something up ahead of her. A person. She couldn't make out who it was but she knew they could help.

She opened her mouth to scream but only a muffled sound came out. She was fast approaching her savior. When she finally reached them, strong arms wrapped themselves around her. It as then that she noticed it was James.

"Lily," he said softly. "Calm down. What are you running from?"

"The creature!" Lily said, taking great gulps of air.

"What creature?" James asked, looking kindly in her eyes.

"That creature!" Lily exclaimed, glancing behind her, she was astonished to find that no one was there. It was just her and James alone in the woods.

Lily sat straight up in bed, gasping for air. She was out of breath as if she had just in fact ran through the woods. Confusion bound to her. What in the name of Merlin was that? It was only a dream, she told herself. But what a strange dream, indeed. She couldn't even begin to make heads or tails of it. After a few seconds her breathing returned to normal as did her heart rate. She looked beside her where Emma was sleeping soundly, a small smile playing at her lips. The light from the moon shining into her window danced across her friends face.

She slid slowly from the bed, making sure not to disturb Emma. She wasn't sure where she was going when she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. All she knew was she needed to clear her head. Somehow, her feet carried her to James room. She stood outside his door, not sure what was going to happen next. The knob was cool under her warm skin which was still buzzing after the dream. She felt exhausted yet wide away.

The door opened without a sound. The sleeping boy was sprawled out on the bed, most of the covers kicked off him. He was laying on his back and with his shirt missing, Lily could see all the muscles on his back. His back rose and fell with each breath and small snored emitted from the face that was turned away from her. For a few seconds, she stood in the middle of his bedroom floor. Not knowing what she was doing here or what her next action would be. Finally she took a step towards the bed. And another step. Two more and her knees were pressed against the mattress. The boy hadn't stirred.

Kneeling down she placed her hand on his shoulder. His skin was warm. No wonder he had kicked off the covers.

"James?" Merlin her mouth was dry. She swallowed and licked her lips. What am I doing?! Lily felt her heart beating in her chest. Surely the sound alone would wake James, but he continued with his slumber. Lily wasn't sure why she had ended up in here. "James," she said once more, shaking him slightly.

"Hmm?"

"James," she said a little louder.

The boy rolled over onto his back. His eyes taking a few minutes to adjust.

"Lily?" he said, confusing filling his sleepy eyes. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

_I have no idea_, Lily thought to herself.

"I had a strange dream," she heard herself say. "Can I sleep with you?"

The question shocked the redhead almost as much as James, if not more. He stared at her for a few seconds as if trying to see if she was joking, or if this was all just a dream.

"Um…Sure," he finally answered. Scooting over, he pulled the covers up and held them up for Lily to climb under.

James was pushed against the far wall, trying his best not to touch Lily. She got herself settled in the bed. Moving closer to James, she snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulders. James stiffened a bit before relaxing. He glanced down at the redhead, preparing to ask what her dream had been about, but she was already fast asleep.


	16. Sometimes You Don't Learn

Chapter 16: Sometimes You Don't Learn From Your Mistakes

The sound of a light snore greeted Lily as she awoke slightly. Still groggy, she snuggled in closer to the form that had its arms wrapped around her waist. A second later, she opened her eyes abruptly. Where was she? Who was that next to her? She pulled away to examine her companions face. James. What the--Then a light bulb clicked on in her head and everything came flooding back. The strange dream, walking to James' room, getting into bed with him. With this new realization, regret joined her. Boy did she has some explaining to do. James would most definitely want to know why she had come to him late at night. And in all honesty, Lily wouldn't mind knowing why either. Unfortunately, she didn't have the answer.

One thing was certain, she couldn't deal with his questions right now, she needed some time to clear her head. She constructed a plan to leave the room while he still slept. Lily began her escape, slowly freeing herself from the boy's hold. She held her breath and watched him intently. Making sure not to make any noise, she held herself up on her arms as she slowly moved her bottom half. She had moved only a quarter of an inch when she saw his eyes flutter open. She cursed under her breath as she watched his hazel eyes stare at her before he blinked a few times.

"Lily?" James asked, his voice heavy with sleep. She watched as the recollection of the night before came flooding back to him as it had done to her. He seemed to be fighting for words to say. The next few seconds, the couple just stared at each other. Finally, James broke the silence. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very," Lily said, "Thanks." She was painfully aware that his arms were still wrapped around her waist, and in all honesty, she couldn't say that she didn't like it.

"That's good." James glanced around the room, as if wondering if this was all just a dream. "Oh, sorry," he said, taking his hands off her waist. "So…um. Why did you come to me last night? I think I remember you saying something about a dream?"

Lily nodded, "Yeah. I had a strange dream. Then when I got out of bed and started walking, I wound up in here." It was then that Lily noticed something that made her giggle.

James stared at her. "What?"

"I didn't think your hair could any worse," she admitted, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair which was sticking up every which way, even more so than usual.

James face reddened a bit and Lily giggled, her finger still trying to flatten his hair. Then in the next second, the mood changed, and her fingers were no longer attacking his unruly mane, but rather massaging it, becoming lost in the softness. Her eyes locked on his and their faces slowly closed the gap. Their morning breath mingled but neither seemed to mind. She was leaning over him when their lips locked but in the next second, she was pinned beneath him in one swift movement.

Their lips attacked each other, tongues raged a war. She moved one hand from his hair to rest on a broad shoulder, her nails digging into his scorching flesh. One of his hands pulled her close to him as it slid under her shirt. Her bare back felt soft under his hand. The other was beside her head, helping to keep most of his weight off her.

To Lily, this was so much better than the other night, mainly because she had been longing to kiss him since then but had held back. Now that she felt his lips on hers again, she felt complete. Like she had been thirsty for so long and James was the rain, refreshing and moist. It all felt so right, the kiss, his flesh against hers, their hands on each other.

Lily closed her eyes, letting the kiss take over her whole body. She felt the passion and it made her head spin but she never wanted it to end. She wanted to get closer to James, wanted to melt into him. She hooked her leg around his waist and arched her body into him. She heard him groan slightly and in the next second, her arms were above her head, being held there by an oversized hand. She whimpered slightly when James pulled his lips away from her. Their eyes met briefly before he pressed his lips to her milky neck. She sucked in a breath as James found her pulse point, sucking gently. She let out a small yelp when he bit the flesh, giving it an apologetic lick afterwards. James grinned at her mischievously and Lily knew that she had been given a love-bite.

"You jerk," she said, smiling up at him.

James' only response was kissing her roughly on the lips. And just like that, Lily the spell was broken as Lily realized the full extent of the love bite. He was marking her. Making her his. Lily turned her head away from James. He glanced down at her to see her green eyes filling with regret. Just like that, the feeling was gone from both of them as if it had never been there before.

"Let me guess," James began with an exasperated sigh as he pushed himself off the red head. "It was a mistake?"

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Lily nodded slightly, her bottom lip between her teeth.

James propped himself up on his arm. "No it wasn't," he said, watching Lily's reaction. She stared at him with disbelief.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked with pure indignance in a manner that James knew to be completely Lily. He suspected that had she been standing, her hand would've been on her hip.

James merely held his gaze. "It wasn't a mistake," he said matter-of-factly. "The other night, maybe that was a mistake. But one doesn't make the same mistake twice, Lily. Not someone as smart as you; someone who learns from her mistakes," he watched her green eyes intently, knowing that she knew what he was saying was the truth. "You fancy me, Lily. You like it when I kiss you and like it when my hands roam your body," as he said this, he leaned in dangerously close so much so that she could feel his breath on her face. She took in a deep breath as his thumb idly stroked her hip. "You're just too bloody stubborn to admit it."

Lily stared at him. Studying his eyes and seeing nothing but sincerity and caring. She took a few seconds to find her voice. How was she supposed to defend herself when she knew he was right?

"It's not that I'm too stubborn to admit it," she said finally. Not worrying about how the words sounded but rather speaking from her heart. "It's that I'm too stubborn to do anything about it. I'm not supposed to like you, James. I'm supposed to despise you. Yet here I am, in your bed with a love bite. How did all of this happen? How did I go from hating your guts to not being able to keep my eyes off you?"

Then James answered her question with one of his own, "Lily, why did you come to my room to sleep with me last night?" The look on his face clearly told Lily that he wasn't going to accept I don't know for an answer.

She was proven right when she said just that and he gave her an unsatisfied, yeah-right, kind of look.

"Really, I don't," she insisted, twisted her hands. "I didn't even know why I was going to your room last night. All I know is that I had this dream, I was in the woods, running from something and then you showed up and saved me and the bad thing was gone. The next thing I know, I'm standing in your room, climbing into your bed," she sighed. "I guess I feel safe around you. Deep down, I know that I'm safe with you.

"But at the same time, I'm afraid of getting hurt. My head is telling me to be careful, not to get too close,"

"What is your heart telling you?" James asked. "I know that's a totally cliché line and I feel like an idiot for saying it, but seriously, Lily, what does your heart tell you? It's obvious you want to be with me, and I know you're scared but so am I. This isn't supposed to be easy. You can never be certain what tomorrow is going to be bring, but sometimes you just have to go for it."

Lily studied at him. He was right and she knew it. But her mind was reeling. She couldn't let herself just jump in like that. It had so much more to do with just her and James. There was something else, at the back of her brain that was keeping her from being with him. She was scared, but she wasn't sure what about. She knew it was about James, but couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"James--" she began but James cut her off.

"Is it that you're afraid that I haven't changed? Because I can guarantee that I have." His voice was desperate. "You know I have, I mean, the old James wouldn't have been able to have you in his bed without trying something."

"You call shoving your tongue down my throat not trying something?" Lily asked. Even as the words left her mouth she knew he was right, she never would've come to his bed if she didn't think he had changed.

"You initiated that," James answered simply.

"James, I'm sorry," she said, watching his heart drop while at the same time feeling her own do the same. "I just can't. I'm scared, and I don't know why. All I know is I can't take the chance."

His eyes dropped down to the comforter on the bed. Lily reached out to him but he pulled away.

"James?" she asked.

"You should leave," he said finally, still not looking at her.

Lily felt the tears stinging at her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall, not in front of James. She slowly climbed off the bed and took a few steps towards the door when she turned back around. "I really am sorry."

She didn't know what she expected from him. Maybe for him not to answer, or to say "Me too," what she didn't expect was for him to yell at her.

"How can you say that?!" he asked angrily, finally looking up at her. She saw the anger in his eyes which made her feel even worse. "You keep kissing me, Lily, and then you pull away and say it was a mistake. I'm not a toy that you can snog and then drop! I have feelings. More importantly, I have feelings for you! And you just keep playing with them like this is some kind of game! Well guess what, Lily, it's not bloody game! I fancy you, a lot and I know you like me, but you're too damn scared to do anything about it. What am I supposed to say? It's okay. I understand. Because it's not, and I don't! I thought you were smart and funny and sensitive, but I was wrong. You're nothing more than a slag!" He stood from the bed and walked past her quickly, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

His words had stung. She was angry at him for calling her such a fowl name but knew she had deserved it. She had been toying with him, and that made it hurt even more. She decided it was best that she left before he came out from the bathroom. So she slowly walked to the door, opening it. Remus was standing outside the door and she felt the tears fall from her eyes.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked, "I heard James shouting. Are you okay?"

Lily shook her head. "No, Remus, I'm not okay. I screwed up. I screwed up big time."

Remus opened his arms and Lily fell into them, sobbing quietly.

"It'll be okay," he reassured her. He didn't know what else to do but to soothe and comfort her.

A few minutes later, they were still standing there when James emerged from his room. He took one look at the crying red head and his friend and walked away without so much as a word.

"James," Remus said hopefully, but his best mate just kept walking, this only made Lily cry harder.

"He hates me, Remus," she sobbed. "And I don't blame him. I've acted horribly towards him."

Before either could say another word, Sirius and Cassie emerged from their room and walked over to the others.

"Hey, what's wrong with Lily?" Cassie asked, pulling the hair from her friend's face and pulling her into a hug.

"Something happened between her and James." Remus answered.

"What?" Sirius and Cassie asked at the same time.

"What happened?" Cassie asked, rubbing her friends back.

"I'm not sure," Remus said truthfully.

"James hates me," Lily said, glancing up. Everyone looked at her sympathetically. No one knowing what to say.

"Where's James now?" Sirius asked and Remus told him he had went downstairs. Sirius headed in that direction.

Remus looked at the two girls.

"Cassie, would it be okay if I talked to Lily?"

Cassie stared at her friend. "I don't know. I feel like I should stay with her."

"I want her to stay," Lily said. "Then I'll only have to tell the story once. I've screwed up," she admitted, wiping the tears from her eyes even though more kept falling. "I'll take all the input I can get."

Remus nodded and led the two girls to his room. Lily sat on the bed while Remus and Cassie sat on either side of her. She took a deep breath and told them what happened, beginning with the night that they first kissed and ending with him yelling at her. Neither said a word until she was done talking a ten minutes later.

"And I don't know what to do. I know that I like him, but I'm just scared, and I don't know. I really like him and that scares me. I'm scared of loosing him, even though I don't think he would leave me. Why can't I just be with him and say screw it?"

Remus sighed. "I think maybe you're scared that he's not really changed so you're reluctant to put yourself in that position to get hurt."

"That's not it," Lily said. "I know he's changed. We've already established that I know he's changed. It's not that I'm afraid he's going to betray me. I really don't know what it is."

For the first time, Remus had no advice. He wasn't sure what to say nor could he think of a plausible explanation and Lily could sense this. Remus looked at Cassie, who clearly had nothing as well.

"I'm really sorry, Lily," Remus apologized. "But I don't know what to tell you. I wish I could help more, but I really think this is something that you have to figure out."

Lily took in his words. If Remus couldn't help her then maybe she was truly helpless. This only depressed her further.

"Well, thanks for helping," Lily said, standing from the bed. "I'm gonna go get dressed." She made her way to her room and opened the door to see Emma changing.

"Hey, where were you?" Emma asked.

"I slept with James last night," Lily answered, completely ignoring the look of shock that her best friend was giving her. "I'm sorry but I really don't wanna talk about it. Have Cassie tell you about it, please?"

Emma merely nodded. "Okay, that's fine." She knew better than to ask if Lily was okay. Anyone with eyes could see that she wasn't.

Lily walked into the bathroom, avoiding looking in the mirror. She already knew what she looked like. Her eyes were red and swollen and her face red, hair standing in every direction. Instead, she brushed her teeth, avoiding the mirror and brushed her hair until she could run her fingers through it. After wiping her face and blowing her nose, she walked back out into the now empty room and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. She and James avoided each other at all costs and their friends walked around the two as if they were ticking time bombs that could go off at any moment. Even James' parents were cautious around them. Lily suspected that Remus or someone had told them what had happened, or at least said that they were arguing.

Lily wasn't sure what had happened during the day. She remembered sitting with Emma and Cassie in her room, but not much else. All day the only thing she could think of was James. Later that night, when Cassie was with Sirius and Emma with Remus, Lily stood in front of the window, watching the rain. It was amazing how the weather outside reflected her mood. And for the first time that she could remember, the storm dampened her mood instead of lifting it.

She was pushing away from the window when her elbow knocked something off her dresser. She cursed aloud and bent over to pick it up. It had been a picture frame. Turning it over, she realized it was the picture of her and her father. The little girl had looked so happy in the picture. The little girl in the picture was going to have that man in her life forever, not knowing that he was going to be taken away from her at a young age. Not knowing the pain that losing her father would cause her. Not knowing that the death of her father would prevent her from being a wonderful guy that she cared for deeply.

Lily stopped at the last thought. Now she finally understood. She wasn't afraid of James leaving her, she was afraid of him being taken away from her. It all made sense. She knew he had changed but was still reluctant to be with him. She was afraid of what could happen to James, of how much it would tear her up inside to get attached to him just to have him stolen from her, just like with her dad. She knew she was falling for him fast, and that scared her.

Suddenly, now that Lily understood her fear, she didn't care. All she wanted was to be with James. She hastily placed the picture back on the dresser and ran down the hall to James' room. She threw his door open only to see that he wasn't there. The light was off, as was the bathroom light. She panicked, not knowing where he was.

Shutting the door behind her, she headed downstairs to the den where Jane and Mike were sitting on the couch.

"Where's James?" she asked.

"I think he's outside," Jane said. "If he is, tell him he needs to be coming in soon, I don't want him to catch something."

"Will do," Lily replied, heading for the back door.

Sure enough, James was standing in the rain, soaking wet. Lily ran over to him.

"James!" she said. He took one look at her and turned the other direction. "James, wait!" she said, running over to him. She caught his arm and he stopped but kept his back turned to her. "Listen, we need to talk. I'm really sorry. I didn't know why I was acting the way I was, but I've figured it out."

"Because you're a selfish arse?" James asked darkly, finally turning to her.

"Okay, I deserved that," Lily admitted. "I treated you horribly and I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but will you please just hear me out?"

James looked at her apprehensively, wanting so badly to just walk away. She didn't care about his feelings so why should he care about hers? Nonetheless, part of him wanted to hear what she had to say, to know what explanation she could possibly have, because, deep down, he still wanted her. He wanted to give her another chance.

Finally, he let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. What self-discovery did you make?" There was a bit of a bite in his tone.

"I was scared of losing you," Lily answered hastily. "Not because I don't believe that you've changed. I do believe that, with all of my heart. But I'm afraid of you being taken away from me. Just like my dad was. When I lost my dad, James, it tore me up. I'm still not recovered fully, and I don't think I ever will be. I loved that man with all of my heart, and he loved me with all of his. And it hurts so badly, to know that no one may possibly ever love you that much again, and you're scared to let anyone try because you won't be able to handle losing them." Lily wasn't sure why she was speaking as if James was the one feeling all this, maybe because it was easier to admit it was how she was feeling. Lily didn't like being vulnerable, and now she was more vulnerable than ever. "I like you, James, a lot. I know that I could possibly even fall in love with you if I let myself, but I didn't want to let myself so that way I don't get hurt."

James studied her for a few seconds.

"You said 'didn't,'" he realized. "Does that mean you're willing to take that risk now?"

Lily nodded, watching drops of rain slide down his face and she knew she never wanted anything more in her entire life.

"Anything is better than this James. I hurt you, and I hurt myself. I hate seeing us like this and if something does happen to you, I'll deal with it. And I'll just remember the memories we shared, because I can't go on like this. I can't keep being afraid to live. I can't be afraid of you. I'm tired of fighting the feelings and all I want is to be with you."

James smiled at her, closing the gap between them.

"That's the best news I've heard all day." With that, he pressed his lips to hers, pulling her close.

The kiss was slow and tantalizing. Lily fought to deepen it but James wouldn't allow her to, instead keeping his lips against her to keep her from parting them. One hand was in her hair while the other was on her waist and Lily's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. He pulled away a few seconds later and smiled down at her.

"I'm so sorry for those horrible things I said to you," he apologized but Lily shook her head.

"No need to apologize. You were hurting and I was the one who hurt you. You didn't deserve to be treated like that and you'll know how bad I felt for acting that way towards."

James hugged her tightly. "You're amazing, Lily. Truly amazing."

Lily shrugged, "I know," she agreed, smiling at him before pushing herself up to kiss him. "We should probably head back inside," she suggested and James nodded, taking her hand, the two walked to the door.


	17. Finally

Okay, so I don't even know how many people are going to even read this because it's been like…almost three years since I've posted on this story. Here's the deal. I actually finished this three years ago and JUST NOW realized that I hadn't posted it on here. I. AM. SO. SORRY. I felt so bad when I realized that. Like seriously, I think my heart dropped a little. So, you guys a special little gift. I went through this with a fine tooth comb…well semi fine toothed comb. There still might be a few mistakes but the descriptions are better and there a few added scenes from the original so it's a least a little something to make up for it. Also this is the last chapter of this story. I have an epilogue to post, which I will wait a few days to put up and do the same thing, go through it, fix some stuff. ALSO, there is a rather delicious love scene between Lily and James that takes place in this story that I have written…but it won't be posted on here as it's rated M. It will be it's own little one shot called Summer Thunder so keep an eye out for it on my profile. I love you all and I'M SO SORRY! Hope this was worth the wait…probably not but it's the best I got.

Chapter 17: Finally

The two teenagers strolled back into the house, hand-in-hand and both soaked to the bone. Their teeth chattering as the cool air from the house hit them. Their clothes stuck to their body as water droplets fell from the clothe, hitting the ground.

"Wait here," James told Lily once they reached the kitchen. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she could only nod, unable to speak due to her chattering teeth. James smiled at her shivering form before making his way down the hall.

Lily wasn't sure where he was headed, or what he was going to get. All she knew was she was freezing and needed to warm up. Without thinking, she muttered "Accio wand," and was shocked when the wooden stick came hurling at her.

She caught the flying object with ease, taking a mere second to stare at it with wonder. She was far too cold to ponder how she had successfully summoned her wand without the use of…well her wand. She performed a drying spell on herself and cleared up the water puddles on the floor before going off in search of James. She met up with him just as he was returning up the hall, a towel in hand.

"Sorry, my wand is upstairs and Mum wouldn't take too kindly to me trudging up there while I'm soaking wet," he told her. A second later, he noticed that Lily was rather dry and he noted the wand in her hand. His face turned into a frown. "You had your wand with you the whole time?"

"No," Lily answered. "I summoned it."

James looked at her curiously, as if there was something he was missing. "Summoned it? How?"

"I don't know," Lily admitted with a shrug, staring at the magic object. "I just summoned it and it came…" Then she smiled at him. "Do you want some help?" He nodded faintly and she pointed her wand at him.

"Much better," he said, hugging her as he pushed the wand issue into the back of his mind. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lily pressed her lips to his in a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she ran her fingers through his hair, the subject of her use of magic without a wand suddenly forgotten.

"How about we go somewhere more comfortable," James suggested, pulling away from her. She nodded and allowed him to lead her upstairs. James eyed his parents with distaste when they passed the snogging adults on the couch. "Have they never heard of a room?" James muttered.

Lily shoved him slightly. "Be nice. I think it's sweet."

"You're just saying that because it's not your parents…" James scoffed as they made their way up the steps. His next words drifted off as James noticed that Lily was in front of him and her bum was in clear view. Her jeans fit snug against her shapely butt. He was almost mesmerized watching it sway from side to side. He smiled to himself. "Nice arse."

Lily turned and smiled back at him as she stood at the top of the stairs. "I'm glad you like," she said.

James returned the smile as he took her hand, leading her to his room. He opened the door and allowed her step inside before following her. He had barely closed the door before he grabbed her hand, spinning her around so she faced him, and pressed his lips to hers in one swift movement. She gladly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and straining on her tiptoes in order to reach him.

James pulled away suddenly. Lily glanced up at him, curiosity swimming in her emerald eyes. What could possibly possess him to pull away from such a passionate, needed kiss, so abruptly.

"I'm sorry," he said, blushing slightly, "but I've really gotta pee." Lily let out a giggle as he added, "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Lily nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving."

James pressed a quick kiss to her smiling lips before rushing off to the bathroom. Lily shook her head and walked over to the window. It was still pouring outside and Lily felt her heart fill with a million different emotions: Joy and sadness being the most definable. She pressed her hand to the rain-streaked window.

"I did it, Dad," she whispered. Logically, she knew that he wasn't here and didn't know what she was saying. However, her dad was in her heart, and somehow, she just knew he was out there, somewhere. Listening. "I'm putting my heart out there, and I'm scared. I'm so scared that he's going to hand it back to me in a million pieces, but I'm willing to take that risk. It's what you would've wanted. And I have to say, I'm so happy; he makes me so happy…"

"You make me happy too," James said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Lily just continued to stare at the window. She could see his reflection on the glass and smiled slightly. "I can't promise that I won't break your heart, Lily, but I can promise I will never do anything to cause you pain. I like you too much to do that. And I'm so happy you gave me this chance to prove just how much."

His hand massaged her shoulder, moving to her back, making small circles. "Your dad would be so proud of you, of your strength. He would want you to be happy."

James pressed his lips to Lily's neck, as she still hadn't turned to face him yet. His arm snaked around her front, pressing her to him as Lily placed her hand on top of his. After a minute, she had enough of his slow torture on her neck and finally turned her head slightly, meeting his lips. She turned so that she was facing him, her hands on his shoulders.

Slowly, she ran her hands down his chest until she reached the hem of his shirt, which she played with idly for a few minutes before pulled away from the kiss and staring into James' hazel eyes. She smiled at him softly as she slowly pulled the shirt up at a torturous pace. After what seemed like forever, she finally tugged the material over his head, tossing it unceremoniously onto the ground. Wordlessly, and with a mischievous grin planted on her face, she placed her hand on James' face; sliding it down at the same agonizing speed with which she'd removed his shirt.

She noted his rapid heartbeat as her hand ran down his chest and as his breath quickened. Her eyes never left his as her hand continued his journey. James' abdomen was well defined from his years of Quidditch. Lily scolded herself as her own breath quickened; she was supposed to be in control, not melting at the thought of the body beneath her hand and what wonderful things it could to her. Once she reached his pants she slide her hands over his hips, letting them rest on his lower back. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, instead choosing to stare into each other's eyes. The only sounds were those of their heavy breathing.

Finally, Lily felt James' hands on her shoulder.

"My turn," he said, grinning mischievously. Lily reached up and grabbed his hand.

"You wish," she replied, smiling at him. She placed a kiss upon the pout into which his lips had formed.

Lily was only vaguely aware of James lifting her up and carrying her across the room. He removed his lips from hers and her back was placed on something soft. James' bed. He placed his body on hers, holding himself up with his arms to keep his weight off her, before retuning his lips to hers. One arm ran down the length of her body, hooking it under her knee. She immediately wrapped the leg around his waist.

Lily couldn't believe how amazing this felt. After yearning for his touch for so many days, she finally had it. This time, she knew she wasn't going to push him away. She couldn't even if she wanted to. And she most definitely didn't.

Her fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer. Somehow, though, he still managed to pull away slightly. She stared into his eyes, getting lost in the hazel pools. She wondered what could've possibly caused him to pull away from her. She fought to catch her breath as he did the same. She felt his chest heaving, pressing into hers. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"Is this too fast?" James finally asked and Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"It's almost not enough," she insisted before crashing her lips to his again. He immediately responded to her.

Neither was aware of the door opening, lost in each other's lips, each other's hands. They were lost to world, including the two new comers who had just entered the room. Cassie and Sirius glanced at each other, taking in the sight before them. Then, Sirius grinned mischievously at Cassie, winking at her before charging at the bed.

"Aww, how cute!"

One minute, Lily was in heaven, being kissed by James. One hand buried in her hair, the other placed beside her head, making the sure the weight he put on her was comfortable. The next, she was pinned to the bed, trapped beneath James. She tried to struggle but found she couldn't move.

She let out a gasp, her eyes flying open. She couldn't imagine what had made James suddenly stop supporting his weight, or how the hell he was so freaking heavy. It took her a second to realize that Sirius was sitting on top of James.

"Black, get off me!" James growled, trying to push himself back up again unsuccessfully. "Now!" he roared, desperate not to crush Lily.

Sirius finally sighed and rolled off the disgruntled couple.

"You're no fun, James," he whined, crossing his arms.

"I happen to think he's plenty fun," Lily smiled, winking at the boy.

"Are you okay?" James asked. His eyes filled with concern as he climbed off the red head, allowing her to sit up.

"Yeah, I'm fine now that I don't have two teenage boys crushing me," she said light-heartedly. Being pinned really wasn't that bad, the bed had sunk so she wasn't totally supporting their weight. She was more confused than hurt.

"Sorry about that." James threw a glare at Sirius before turning his attention back to Lily. His eyes swept her body for any damage. "Are you sure you're okay."

"James, don't worry so much," she insisted, climbing into his lap. "I'm fine. Honest." She pressed a kiss to his lips. "So, Sirius, what exactly was the point of interrupting us?"

The bed groaned as Cassie slid onto the bed towards Sirius. In all the confusion, Lily hadn't even noticed her best friend in the room.

Sirius shrugged in a way that was totally Sirius. "Looked like fun."

"Yes, because squishing your best mate and his girlfriend is loads of fun," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Girlfriend?" Cassie asked. "So did you two finally work it out?"

Lily smiled, a blush warming her cheeks.

"Wow, how did you manage that, James? This morning Lily hated your guts," Sirius noted.

James threw another glare at him. Sirius was his best mate in the whole world. The two were like brothers and would do anything for each other in a heartbeat but sometimes he wanted to strangle the bloke.

"That's between Lily and me," James commented, his voice tight. Sirius was so damn nosey; he always had to know everything, even if it wasn't anything with which he was directly involved. It wasn't so much that it was some huge secret how he and Lily had reconciled, he was just more than a little peeved at his friend at the moment and didn't feel like obliging to his officiousness.

"No, it's okay," Lily insisted, ignoring the small frown James directed at her. She quickly added, "I mean, he'll find out anyway, because I'll tell Cassie and she'll tell him." With that, she told them the story, ending it at the point when they arrived inside and James had gone to fetch the towels.

While she had been telling the story, Lily noticed James getting a bit antsy. His hand idly stroked her thigh and she had to remember to breath. She kept forgetting what she was supposed to be doing. This brought the other couple much amusement and she resisted the urge to glare at them. They had, after all, interrupted a very nice snogging session between her and James. They couldn't very well expect the redhead to rid herself of her arousal at a moment's notice, especially as James' calloused hands continue to torture her. She had lost her place several times and finally had to place her hand on James' to get him to stop his agonizing movements. She could picture the smile on his face as he placed a kiss to the back of her head. When she finished, Cassie seemed somewhat disappointed and Lily gave her a meaningful look, informing her that she would give her the more juicy details later. Her friend nodded slightly with an understanding smile.

"What was that all about?" Sirius asked, curious and slightly hurt at being left out of the secret.

"Don't worry about it," Cassie told him, pressing her hand to his chest.

In an instant, Sirius was smiling again, the secret immediately forgotten. "You know," he began, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Cassie and I have been interrupted. James and Lily have been interrupted. I think it's time that Emma and Moony get their turn."

Lily giggled, "Sirius after what I witnessed last time, I'm a little hesitant to go barging in on my friends."

"But, that's not fair!" Sirius cried, crossing his arms. "How come you don't have any problems walking in on me and Cassie but you spare Remus and Emma. Besides, it's Remus and Emma," he continued, emphasizing their names, "what are the chances that they'll be as extreme as me and Cassie?"

Cassie nodded in agreement. "He has a point."

James smiled. "I don't know. It seems like they've liked each other for a while. That's surely built up some passion. Moreover, Emma got a little aggressive. And no one's heard from them in a while." The others nodded in agreement as he listed these things. "I say we go for it. It's only fair." 

With a brief glance and shared grins, the group immediately jumped from the bed eagerly. James automatically grabbed Lily's hand but she took little notice. She was studying the other couple. Something was…different. There was more significance to the way Sirius wrapped his arm around Cassie's waist. As if they were closer than they'd been when she'd seen them a few hours ago. It took only a second for the realization to hit her. They had made love. Lily just barely stopped the gasp from leaving her lips but couldn't suppress her smile. Cassie and Sirius were too lost in their own world to notice, not to mention they were walking in front of her. James, however, had his full attention on Lily.

"What is it?" he asked.

Lily grinned broadly at him and glanced back at the couple. "Notice anything different?" James studied the couple for a few moments before turning back to Lily.

"Um…no. Not really."

Lily shook her head; James wasn't the most observant sometimes. " They did it," she told him.

A grin spread across his face. "Sirius, you dog."

The four made their way down the hall to Remus' room. They paused shortly outside the door. A slight argument about who would open the door ensued until James pushed forward, annoyed, and placed his hand on the knob. Everyone shared a smile and Lily and Cassie stifled their giggles.

After a few seconds, James threw open the door and the four fell in behind him.

Sirius' intended "Boo," turned into "What the hell?" upon seeing the couple on the bed.

They weren't snogging as had been expected. They weren't even kissing. Remus was propped against the headboard, Emma's head resting on his chest as they played with each other's hands idly.

"I could say the same thing!" Remus retorted. "What are you lot doing?" he asked, clearly more confused than angry. Emma, however, thought the whole situation was funny.

It took her a minute to catch her breath. "You about gave me a heart attack," she giggled, clutching her chest.

"Back to my question of why the hell you're standing in my room," Remus repeated, glaring at his friends slightly.

"It's quite simple," Sirius began, making his way to the bed, pulling Cassie with him. "We came to interrupt your snogging session," he stated. "As it happens, you losers disappointed us greatly."

"We're talking," Remus growled, knowing that the term was foreign to Sirius when it came to the opposite sex. "Not like you would know anything about that."

At this point, Lily and James also made their way to the bed. Remus seemed too involved in the argument to notice the way Lily settled into James' lap. Emma, however, was fully aware and gawked at the pair in disbelief.

Sirius looked insulted. "Of course I don't know anything about it. I can most certainly find better use of my mouth in the presence of a beautiful girl." He winked at Cassie, pressing his lips to hers as an example.

"Well, Emma and I realized we barely knew each other and wanted to get to know each other more than just physically."

"You two are finally together?" Emma burst, still staring at James and Lily.

Lily felt a blush creeping upon her cheeks. Remus was now also staring at the couple, the argument totally forgotten.

"Yep, turns out even the indestructible Lily Evans can't resist the Potter Charm," James said, winking.

"You're so full of yourself," Lily laughed, pushing him playfully.

"If it gets me the girl, then you bet I am," James replied, kissing her forehead.

Lily felt her blush deepen as everyone was staring at them. She wasn't a prude, exactly. She just believed that there were some things that deserved to be kept private. Well, not exactly, because she didn't have a problem with seeing other people kissing. There were some things she didn't like having broadcasted. Yeah, that sounded right.

"I thought you said you weren't a virgin?" Sirius said suddenly.

Lily's faced turned even redder and she glanced at him. "I-I'm not. Why?" She clearly couldn't see how that was any of his business, or what it had to do with right now.

"I don't know, I just think it's weird how embarrassed you get from a simple kiss on the forehead," he shrugged, a smile playing at his lips.

Lily opened her mouth to defend herself but James beat her to it.

"Sirius, just leave her alone."

"It's just weird is all I'm saying," he said with a shrug.

"Well not everyone can be as open about their intimate business as you," Lily said, coyly.

"Sex," Sirius started, sitting up a little straighter as if he were going to give a big important speech, "is a beautiful thing shared between two people who love each other and should not be the cause of shame."

Lily shook her head. "Yes, but it is not also something that needs to be explained in explicit detail at any given moment. I promise you, your head will not explode if you don't divulge in every little sexual act you preform."

"Yes, but—" the young man began before being cut off.

"Give it a rest, Pads," James told him. "She's better at arguing then you are and I don't want you to embarrass yourself when you have to resort to yelling 'Yeah…well. So?' just to maintain a little bit of dignity."

Sirius opened his mouth once again to protest but, rather smartly, closed it again. He crossed his arms in a pout. Lily grinned smugly at him and he stuck his tongue out at him.

"Very mature," she giggled.

James snorted. He knew maturity was not his best friend's strong suit. Agility, yes. Loyalty, absolutely. Maturity, not so much. Proving his point, Sirius glared at him. Everyone let out a laugh at Sirius' defeat. He mocked them all with a sarcastic cackle of his own.

"Forget you all," he said, standing up. "I'll be in my room if anyone wants to actually have a conversation instead of making fun of me." He stomped out of the room and slammed the door. They all knew it was more for dramatics than out of actual hurt. Sirius wasn't one to get easily offended but he was always up for putting on a good show. 

Seconds after the door slammed shut, Lily stifled a yawn. "Sirius has the right idea," she admitted. "I'm about ready to go bed myself."

Everyone else agreed and they all said their goodnights before leaving the room, with the exception of Emma and Remus. Cassie made a beeline for Sirius' room while Lily and James made their way to James' room.

"You gonna tuck me in?" James asked jokingly, grabbing her hand. It was as if he couldn't stop touching her.

"If you're lucky," Lily smiled back at him as they made their way to the bed. She was all too aware of how her hand felt in James'. His was so big and calloused, yet soft. Her small hand felt almost fragile wrapped in his fingers but it was nice. She felt safe.

James sat beside the bed, pulling her down with him. He pulled her across his lap and she laughed before he pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss. When he finally released her, she was breathless and she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Lily," James said, his tone suddenly changed. She glanced at him to see his face set in an indescribable look. Serious was the closest word she could use to describe it. She almost said "yes?" or something to that affect but he knew he had her attention and would eventually say what was on his mind. "There's something I need to tell you…"

Lily merely nodded. However, as his silence grew to a whole thirty seconds she spoke. She was nervous at not knowing what he could possibly tell her. Surely, he wasn't breaking up with her; they'd just started going out. But what else could it be? Nothing came to her mind.

"James, you know you can tell me anything." He nodded. "Please, James, the suspense is killing me!" she joked lightly, hoping it would put him at ease.

She saw the smile flicker on his face. It faded quickly but his face wasn't as set as before. "Okay, so you know how you're not a virgin?" Lily nodded. Was that it? Surely, he didn't have a problem with that. "Well…I sort of…am," he said finally, watching her face for her reaction.

"Well," she said after a few moments' silence in which she processed this information. It was a shock, naturally. She wondered briefly if he was kidding but the look in his eyes told her he was being truthful. "That's rather unfortunate." Now it was James' turn to be confused and curious, "because I only date those as promiscuous as I."

For a second, he took her seriously, his face dropping. To this day, he wouldn't be able to tell you why he believed the words that came out of her mouth, even for a fraction of a second. It was just the moment was so serious, as had been her tone. Then a small smile formed on her lips.

"James, I'm kidding!" she told him, placing her hand on his arm. "Why would I care that you're a virgin." Then an unpleasant thought crossed her mind. "Unless...you care that I'm not."

James glanced at her as if he was almost insulted that she could think that he would care. "No, of course not!" he insisted forcefully.

"So…" she hesitated slightly. "What's the big deal?"

"I just thought you should know," James shrugged. "It seemed fair. And well….since the chances are that you're going to be the one who…" he drifted off, not knowing exactly how to put into words that she would be the one to…deflower him, so to speak.

Lily snorted. "James, were you saving yourself for me?" There was a genuine curiosity behind her playful banter.

"Well, not exactly," he told her. He struggled to find his next words so Lily took advantage of the opportunity, the realization coming to her with a gasp.

"So, you mean I'm more experienced than you?" she asked, the idea sounding almost absurd to her, even more so when she spoke it aloud.

"Yeah, I suppose that's what it means. Even if it sounds a bit ironic," he said with a grin.

"James, you're more innocent than I am!" she declared, regardless that the facts weren't changing no matter how many different ways she said it. However, James seemed to genuinely resent this statement.

"I am anything but innocent," he told her sternly, his face set in a scowl. "I've had my share of…fun. I actually came extremely close once, but I changed my mind at the very last minute. I didn't love her, but I did respect her enough not to use her like that."

Lily felt her heart melt and wondered if she could've picked a better guy for whom to fall. She was overcome with emotion and could barely contain herself when she crawled into his lap, smashing her mouth against his desperately. James seemed confused by her forcefulness at first but soon reacted to her. One hand buried itself in her hair as the other clutched onto a handful of her shirt.

Lily pulled at his hair. She was gasping for air but never removing her lips from his. In an instant, James flipped her onto the bed, pressing himself into her. It wasn't nearly enough for either of them but they both knew they would regret if they let it go any further. It was much too soon and would feel too rushed. Not to mention that they were in a house full of people, any of whom could walk in at any moment. It was a mutual agreement, one that needed no words, that stopped them from taking things to the next level.

When James was sure that Lily would pass out from lack of oxygen, he pulled away from her mouth. She protested, trying to pull him back. He chuckled and pressed another kiss to her lips before placing her hands above her head

"James." It had started out as a whine but turned into a breathy moan as he pressed his lips to her pulse point.

He could feel her chest beneath him heaving. She really had been out of breath. He smiled to himself; proud that he'd had such an effect on the red head. Lily felt the smile.

"What's so funny?" she asked, between gulps of air, irritation present in her voice. Now was not the time to laugh at her. She was snogging him after all and if his way of paying her back was to laugh at her…well the results would not be good. 

James shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Lily didn't seem convinced but as he continued his assault all other thoughts were pushed from her mind. Finally, James' felt her breath even out. The passion between them faded slowly, replaced with exhaustion. James rested his head against her shoulder and she ran her fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes, James lifted himself off her, knowing she wouldn't be able to support his weight much longer. When he glanced lovingly down at Lily, her eyes were still closed, hiding her amazing emerald eyes. He could tell by her steady breathing that she was just barely still conscious to the world. She mumbled his name and rolled closer to him.

"Are you tired?" he asked, amused, wrapping his arm around her.

Lily nodded her head against his chest. "I should go to my bed."

James didn't seem too keen on that idea, yet he paused for a moment before voicing his own. "Or…Or you could just stay here."

Lily's eyes opened slowly, taking a few seconds to adjust to the world before looking up and studying his face. She wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, she just wasn't completely sure of it either. She wanted nothing more than to wake up in the security of his arms yet again. She just wasn't sure what sleeping with him would mean now that they were dating. Was it too soon to share a bed with him as boyfriend and girlfriend? In the end, her exhaustion and desire won.

"You mean you don't mind?"

"Hm," James said, a smile playing at lips. "Do I mind having a beautiful girl that I care about more anything in the world, for whom I have feelings that I've never felt for anyone else. Do I mind her sleeping in my bed? I'll have to think about that for a second." He smiled at her as she rolled her eyes slightly. Finally, he pressed his lips to hers. "Of course I don't mind."

"Well, if you're sure," Lily said, snuggling closer to him.

His eyes swept her body, noticing that she was wearing jeans and a tight fitting tee-shirt. "Would you like something more comfortable to wear? You can borrow one of my shirts and a pair of boxers," he told her. "You can even change in the bathroom."

"James, I'm so tired, I don't know if I'd be able to walk to the bathroom."

He could tell that she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Then I'll go into the bathroom and you can change in the bed."

Lily smiled at him gratefully, still unable to figure out how she had wound up with someone so wonderful, or how James Potter had turned into someone so wonderful. "You are too perfect."

"And you deserve nothing less."

He climbed over her carefully. Lily rolled over to watch him walk to the dresser and retrieve a pair of boxers, a tee shirt, and a pair of sweat pants. He walked back to her, handing her the boxers and tee-shirt.

"They're clean," he promised when she eyed the boxers.

"Yeah, I know," she said, taking them from him.

Lily barely waited until he was in the bathroom to pull her own shirt over her head. She was so tired she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep her eyes open, which she didn't need to do in order to change, luckily. James' scent engulfed her as she pulled the material over her. She inhaled deeply, getting lost in the scent. The pants were a bit more of a challenge as she had to sit on the edge of the bed. It was weird wearing James' boxers but not nearly was weird as it would've been to just sleep in her knickers. When James walked back in, her arms were under the shirt removing her bra.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," James apologized.

Lily shook her head, "Nah, it's okay, I'm done." She threw the material on the ground. James picked it back up, examining it.

"Nice. Very nice."

Lily was too tired to say anything so she grabbed the piece of clothing out of his hand. She noticed James smiling at her.

"That's officially my favorite shirt," he told her, grinning.

Lily merely rolled her eyes. "Would you get in bed already?"

James chuckled but obliged. He pulled the coves back, letting Lily climb under them. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shirtless chest. Lily wasn't sure of what the future held. She didn't know how long she and James would last. She hadn't the slightest idea what the world had in store for her. All she knew was she wrapped in the arms of an amazing guy, her whole body engulfed in his warmth, his scent. This was heaven, Lily decided.


	18. Summer Rain: Storm

_Okay, here it is. The end. As I said, I do have a rather delicious one shot that I will post within the next week or so. I'm soooo sorry for not postin this years ago when I finished the story and I hope you all think I did justice to the story with this ending. I know there may be some things that don't exactly fit with the story, but that's why it's called a fan fiction. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Love you all! And thanks to everyone who added this as their favorite stories. I had quite a few new people add it after my last chapter and you don't know how much that means to me. _

Summer Rain: Storms

Epilogue

Lily awoke to the sun shining in from the window. She felt the heat from the body next to her warming the air around her. She didn't want to wake up. She wanted to lie in this bed for the rest of her life. It was perfect. The boy beside her was perfect. Her eyes fluttered open and she merely watched the sleeping form next to her. The dark-haired boy didn't seem to have any plans of waking up immediately so she slid from the bed carefully, the call of nature pressuring her stomach when moving was the last thing she wanted to do.

When she emerged from the bathroom, James was still sound asleep so she made her way down to breakfast without him. She shook her head, smiling slightly at the snogging couple that filled her vision upon walking into the kitchen. Mike immediately pulled away from his wife as he heard Lily step into the room. After noticing that the girl was alone, or more importantly, that his son wasn't with the redhead to voice his protests, he pressed himself to his wife once again. Jane giggled slightly and pushed him away before turning to their intruder.

"Good morning," Jane greeted with smile and a slight blush. Lily figured the blush was due more to arousal than embarrassment.

"'Morning," Lily responded stifling a yawn. She crossed the kitchen and sat down at the rectangular table.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Jane said as she turned to the counter. "The letters from Hogwarts arrived today in the post."

Lily watched as Jane handed her a rather thick envelope addressed to Ms. Lily Evans. Lily's heart skipped a beat much as it had the last time she'd received a large package from Hogwarts. She carefully opened the envelope, fighting not to rip it open. A badge fell from the envelope and Lily barely glanced at it, as if not believing it was possible. Her shaking hands made it difficult to read the letter.

Ms. Evans,

I am pleased to announce that you have been appointed Head Girl…

Lily's eyes swept the rest of the letter quickly, catching the word "badge" and noting a list which she assumed was instructions. "Congratulations, Dumbledore."

The letter fluttered to the table as Lily dropped it. The parchment had barely touched the surface when Lily grabbed the badge. She noticed that it was warm and magnificent in her hand. She was almost afraid it would disappear. James' parents looked at her in surprise when she ran from the room. She took the steps two at a time, feeling like she was floating rather than running to James' room. Her hand barely seemed to touch the knob as she threw open the door. Her feet carried her to his bed and she jumped on the boy's sleeping form.

"James!" she exclaimed, bouncing slightly. "James, I made Head Girl! I'm Head Girl, James!"

The boy was immediately awake, his eyes needing no time to adjust. He smiled up at her, not the least bit disgruntled about being awoken in such a rough manner.

"That's wonderful, Lily!" James told the excited Lily, his grin spreading across his face. "I'm so proud of you."

"This is my badge," she said, thrusting the shiny object at him. "I mean, it's almost too good to be true. Me, James. I'm Head Girl! You have any idea how badly I've been wanting this?"

"I think I have an idea," James told her. "I really am so proud of you. You're going be great." He pressed a kiss to her lips, which prompted her to lie down next to him and hook her arms around his neck.

They pulled away after a few minutes. Lily sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She squealed as she caught sight of badge in her hands. James chuckled lightly.

"Words really can't describe how proud of you I am, Lily," he told her. "No one deserves this as much as you do."

"You really think so?" Lily asked, blushing slightly.

"I know so," he insisted.

"That means a lot to me, James, it really does," Lily told him. "Now I'm gonna go tell Remus!"

"You're not going to jump on him, are you?" the boy asked, mocking uneasiness.

Lily smiled at him. "No, that's reserved for you only," she said. Her smile faded slightly. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Not at all, I'm a big boy, I can handle a bit of pouncing," he winked at her slightly. She smiled back at him before jumping up from the bed.

Remus had the same reaction as James, telling Lily he was proud and that she absolutely deserved it. When the two walked downstairs, James and Sirius were already in the kitchen. James' back was turned to them. He was standing at the counter, reading his letter.

Sirius turned to the others and let out a bark like laugh that was a mixture between amusement and disbelief. "You two are never going to believe who made Head Boy,"

A look of dread washed over Lily, sincerely hoping he wasn't about to tell her _he_ had made Head. She liked Sirius enough, but all they did was bicker. She didn't know if she could handle working beside him all year without the two killing each other.

"You?" she asked, trying and failing miserably at hiding the dread in her voice.

He let out another laugh. "Bloody hell no! I caused way too much trouble to ever be Head Boy," he smiled. She barely had time to let out a sigh of relief before he was talking again. "I'll give you a hint, you're dating him."

Lily looked at James with disbelief; his back was still turned to her. Excitement and hope taking over against the small voice in her head telling her this may just be one of Sirius' jokes. "No way." She closed the gap between them with only a few short steps. He was holding a shiny badge in his hand. She glanced at hers quickly before turning her attention to the one in his hand. It matched hers, as she knew it would. "Seriously, James?" She pushed back the small voice of doubt in her mind. She knew Sirius would pull something like this but doubted that James would play along for this amount of time. Not to mention the look of shock on his face was too convincing to be faked.

At first, it appeared he hadn't heard his girlfriend. After a few suspenseful seconds, he glanced up, meeting her eyes. Swallowing, he nodded and held up the piece of parchment that had been on the counter. Lily glanced at the letter, her eyes sweeping his name in an unmistakable, elegant handwriting at the top, before letting a grin spread across her face.

"James, this is wonderful! We're going to be head students together!" Lily pulled James into a hug. "This year is going to be awesome." She pulled away and noticed the look of uncertainty and fear upon his face. "James, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said with a slight shake of his head. "This is wonderful…it's just….I thought it was going to be Remus for sure. I'm just shocked is all."

"Yeah, we both thought it would be Remus," Sirius reiterated. "Sorry, mate." He clapped Remus on the back.

"No, it's fine. James deserves it. He's going to make a great Head Boy. In all honesty, I kind of hated being Prefect. Everyone looks at you to know what to do. It's too much pressure. James is a much better leader."

"Thanks, Remus, that means a lot."

"I meant every word," Remus insisted. "Oh and you two do know that Heads have their own separate common room and dorm, right?"

James grinned at Lily, finally seeming to let the excitement and joy wash over him. "This year is going to be the best ever!" He pulled the redhead in for a kiss.

She giggled and kissed him back. "Indeed it will."

Later that night, lying in bed with James, listening to his breathing, Lily let her mind wander. The storm outside the window reminded her of the many nights of the summer. She thought about the coming year, about the future after they graduate. About the summer and how it had become something she never could have expected. She had come to this house, fully despising James, and now, she didn't know what she would do without him. He was everything she wanted and so much more. She remembered how their friendship had grown. They'd had rough patches that were overcome.

This summer, she had learned about love and life. She learned that there are things in the world that were so much bigger than her. She would never forget the lessons she learned, or the memories that had been made. She also knew she would never forget about the kisses shared in the summer rain.

THE END


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